Twitter ye Not
Only the most adamant of golf fans can have felt the loss of Tweets from the Ryder Cup squad.
But the joint decision by the two Ryder Cup captains to slap a ban on Twitter and Facebook during the tournament raises some interesting issues about open communication.
While Colin Montgomerie pointed to the negative impact caused by cricketer Kevin Pietersen's Twitter rant after being dropped from one day internationals, his US counterpart Corey Pavin explained it was more about social networking distracting players from their game.
So is outlawing the use of social media justified? I'd suggest it's more about understanding the rules of engagement.
Twenty years ago we were in a similar stew about mobile phones. But we gradually got to realise that although we could contact anyone, anywhere at any time of the day or night, we generally didn't call them at 3am unless it was an emergency.
As our knowledge and confidence grew, we also introduced such considerate questions as "is it convenient to talk now?" in appreciation that the other person might be answering the call up a mountain, in bed or even in the loo. Most importantly, perhaps, it dawned on us that uttering the words "I'm on the train" would only result in a cacophony of laughter from fellow passengers. And so the laws of mobile usage were born.
The manual book for social networking is still a work in progress. Social media's immediacy and global reach are its two biggest assets. They also represent its biggest dangers. In a matter of seconds and without due consideration we can break confidences, share the most intimate of secrets, libel complete strangers and Tweet ourselves out of a job - to an audience of potentially millions. The capacity to make and break reputations (including our own) is sky high.
Social networking not only triggers a lively discussion about what information to share, but also when it is appropriate to do so. Amidst that blazing row with our boss or in while in labour, at what point is it acceptable to pull out the iPhone or Blackberry and tap out 140 characters to an eager, waiting virtual world?
COMMENTS
No comments added for this entry.
POST A COMMENT
