In the article How will Twitter revolutionize academic research and teaching, the positive aspects of social media are described as active listening in an academic conversation. In the article the author talks about how when someone in academia uses Twitter for educational purposes they are no longer standing at a podium in front of a lecture hall but more at an equal level like in a seminar room. It discusses how Twitter followers are automatically an active participant that (hopefully) want to add to the conversation and can easily do so with the ease of the reply button. With active participants come constant and genuine feedback that help not only the "tweeter" but all those who follow them. Twitter offers opportunities to anyone willing to click the follow button and according to the article " can lead to an ethical shift towards active efforts for engaging new audiences and widening participation beyond the ivory tower walls" that most people regard as higher education.
Although I am slow on the uptake of Twitter, I do see the mass potential it offers to have an immediate conversation with a million people all across the globe. It gives people an informal way to conduct research, form thought, and suggest theories. What is great about Twitter is that it is a two way street of information. I can read what other people are thinking and on the rare occasion that I have something to say, I have the perfect audience already waiting to be involved and participate.
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