Obama Vs. iPad

Here are the exact words of President Obama while giving a speech on the importance of access to information:

“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.”

Surprising, especially from a president who used social media as a key communication tool during his election campaign. Although Obama is probably one of the most tech savvy politician of his time, he's seem to think that digital communication doesn't mean everything.

I agree with Obama when he says that iPads & co tend to make information a distraction because we pay less and less attention to complex content on the Internet. But according to me, the real problem comes from the way people choose to use these amazing communication tools. The information itself hasn't change, but the way it reaches us did.

We get information through the same technology that entertains us. It was already the case with television and radio, but multimedia tools like iPads made this statement even more obvious. Indeed, the media that Obama accuses are a part of our everyday life, and pretty addictive. We carry these tools around everywhere we go, and like the president says we live in a "media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments".

I think the message to remember is that it's up to us to make the most out of technology. Fortunately, iPads don't have the power to make information a distraction, human beings do.

What's your opinion?

Do you think we could use technology and social media for more noble reasons or are we doomed to be distracted by this constant flow of information?

The Only Thing Constant In The World Is Change

Funny fact...the only thing you could possibily write as a status on Twitter or Facebook is : I'm on Twitter, or I'm on Facebook.

But everyone knows that social media are not about being honest.You have to litteraly be extraordinary. Updating your page is a way to show the world you exist, otherwise people will think you're dead, or just borring which is even worse.

If the Internet is the Kingdom of impermanence, it's in war with Boredom Land.

Constantly reinvent yourself or die, that's what social media tell us.

Beside from making people even more self-centered, I think this tendancy to always stay in the newsfeed has been really challenging for businesses. Indeed, a company that decides to be on Twitter signs a fictitious contract with the public that says, "I'm newsworthy". So it is up to brands to keep their followers or fan basis entertained.

This is also true for famous people. I'm a fan of rap singer Lupe Fiasco on Facebook and I think he's doing a great job with his page. Not only he uses it to give people's official information about his album, concerts, or important events, but he manages to create a real relationship with the fans by simply staying aware of the news. Lupe Fiasco supports other artists on his status, wishes a happy mother's day, and ad personal pictures. Unlike Beyoncé, who only updates her status to promote herself or sell something.

I think it's important to stay creative to incorporate social media in a business. The whole point of it is to develop a different relationship with your client, one that you wouldn't have on a traditional communication's channel.

Do you have examples of companies or celebrities who use social media in an original way?

Is Transparency A Good Thing?

Have you ever googled your own name? Well one of my best friends did it for me and told me I was in the autocomplete...scary!

It made me think that transparency seems to be a phenomenon directly linked to the Internet and social media. Hiding from people is becoming more an more complicated, even for totally anonymous persons since we all have profile on different networks.

So you can only imagine how twisted it can get for celebrities, especially for politicians who are supposed to represent their party and electors. The Internet is dissuading political figures to lie to the people because the new technologies make it harder for them to withhold information, which is a good thing.

But every single word that comes out of a politician's mouth is now recorded and posted online, even when it's useless. I don't tolerate the bloopers of French president Sarkozy who insult his opponents when they refuse to shake his hand. But the problem with transparency, is that it totally erased the line between the official speech and what is supposed to be off the record. Ministers and presidents are being judged for the people they are in real life, but the danger with transparency is that it makes people focus on trivial things.

We are lucky to live in a society that doesn't keep the information hidden. But westerns countries have to be careful not to abuse this gift and turn it into a disinformation tool. New technologies allow to record anything at anytime and social media help to spread the news, so let's save this amazing communication flow for information worth sharing!

Hugo Chavez On Twitter

Last week, Twitter was welcoming an unexpected new user in the network, the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. He might be a politician, but he sounded more like a messiah on his first tweet:

"Hey how are you doing? I appeared like I said I would: at midnight. I'm off to Brazil. And very happy to work for Venezuela. We will be victorious!!"

Although Hugo Chavez is not the first president to be on Twitter, his new activity raises many questions on the relationship between the Internet and propaganda. Hugo Chavez is indeed known to give media a hard time in Venezuela, and was accused by many journalist organizations to jeopardize freedom of press. The president closed many TV channels and holds a monopoly on Venezuelan media that allows him to appear as much as he wants. He even has his own TV show called Alo Presidente.

The Internet is often seen as the media of the opposition, because it gives a voice to people who don't usually have one on TV, radio or press. We all remember the role that Twitter played in the dissenting movements in Iran. Unfortunately, it seems like politicians are more than ready to get their share from social media.

I think that everybody has the right to use social media to express themselves, the only problem with Chavez becoming a Twitterer is that he doesn't recognize that statement himself. The main reason why the Venezuelan president, considered as a despot, is on Twitter is to fight the presence of the opposition on the Internet. "The Internet is a battle trench because it is bringing a current of conspiracy," he declared.

Nobody can prevent Hugo Chavez from tweeting, but it's sad to see that repressive personalities like him start to use a tool that was partly used to struggle against repression!

What do you think about the presence of Hugo Chavez on Twitter?

Craigslist Gets Busy

I was having a random conversation with a friend a few days ago. We were talking about my roomates and he asked me how I had found an apartment, so I obviously answered: "Craigslist, of course!". Before coming to New York, people would say it was the best website for housing but also for buying all kind of things like tickets, furniture...

But my friend had a surprising reaction: "Oh my God, you're brave!". I didn't understand why so I asked him for further explanation and he told me something that scared the hell out of me: "Craigslist is known for being dangerous, heard people got killed" he said.

After considering the possibility that I was currently living with serial killers, I stopped being paranoid but did some research out of curiosity. It turns out that Craigslist is actually in the news for suspecious activities.

It seems like the success of Craigslist partly depends on a controversial revenue called sex ads. Indeed, more and more people are posting ads on the website to promote prostitution. Users have to pay from $10 to $15 to publish an ad on Craigslist, and as there is no efficient regulation for sex ads, the website makes money by promoting horrible things such as child exploitation and human trafficking. This is completely scandalous.

Craigslist used to give all the money from the sex ads to charity, which is kind of gross when you think about it. Solving problems by making money out of another huge social issue is not helping. But the icing on the cake is that now the company stopped committing to give that money away! Basically it's almost like saying "We make money by promoting prostitution, so what?" to people's face.

The ads of Craigslist are likely to bring $36 billions to the company this year, which is three times the revenue of last year's projection. But can a company really grow and spread its influence while being involved in such unethical issues?

Just because Craigslist provides online services doesn't mean it should be exempt from regulations. My point is, we should expect integrity from the Internet too, especially from Craigslist which is in the top ten most visited websites in the US. Can you imaging ads for prostitution on the New York Times or CNN? The digital media shouldn't be a no man's land in terms of rules.

Too Much Texteen

Pew Research Center recently published a study revealing that one in three American teens send more than 100 text messages a day. Text messaging becomes centerpiece communication nowadays, as it is the first channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, before cell calling.

That trend keeps on growing since 88% of teen cell phone users do text messages compared to 51% in 2006. That sharp rise doesn't really suprise me, as I'm pretty addicted to texting myself. But I'm not a teenage anymore and I still remember the time when I didn't own a cell phone. Even if this memory is getting blurrier and blurrier, it makes a difference. No matter how much I depend on mobile communication, I'm from the generation that discovered cell phones. I mean that when I got my first one, I was excited about it and didn't take it for granted, it was a major event. But now, it became totally normal for teens to own one as soon as they enter mid school, and maybe even earlier. I think this habit has an impact on many levels of our society.

Another study made by the University of Maryland reported that college students using social media showed signs similar to drug addicts. To avoid this dangerous trend, Riverdale Country School took a really interesting initiative by lauching an experiment in text-free living. They asked the kids not to use their cell phones for texting or chatting on social media for two days. As difficult as it was for teenages to keep their phones away, they were all suprised to see how fast they would finish their homework.

Texting and chatting with friends on social media are a part of our daily language. Although I recognize it can be really convenient to communicate this way, I also think it tends to narrow our thoughts and ideas. It's a really distracting activity that makes people use simple vocabulary, and that's why it's scary that so many teens are addicted to their smartphones. I believe we should encourage young people to express themselves in a more complex way, so that they always know the line between digital communication and traditional one.

Unlike The New Facebook "Like" Button

Facebook launches a new "Like" button allowing the social network to spread its influence beyond its own website. How can I unlike this?

We all know the "Like" button on each Facebook profile that allows people to show their interest in others' activity. The more friends like your status, the more influential you can consider yourself on your network. But Facebook is now applying this popular concept to a different field. Indeed, we should all prepare ourselves to see a new "like" button on famous entertainment or information websites within the weeks to come.

Becoming a fan of a brand requires the user to actually search for the company on Facebook. So in addition to that, the new "like" button will appear on the brands' official websites so that Facebook users can directly like them when they log on. It completes the function of "share" buttons already established and very popular on many websites such as Youtube.

But what looks like a partnership or an exchange of visibility from one brand to another is actually more strategic. Facebook has to pay a price to have a "like" button on other websites, because it represents a considerable opportunity for the brand.

Unfortunately, the price is people's privacy. Facebook will offer data about its users to the websites agreeing to display a "like" button. These websites will then be able to advertise for their service by targeting specific audiences thanks to the information that Facebook owns about us. I think this is the sign that Facebook crossed the line because it is openly using its users as merchandise. We think we are just expressing ourselves by saying what we like, but we are actually a part of a mercantile system we don't even get. Social media are supposed to connect people to one another, not to companies.

Social networks definitely have to think more seriously about the evolution of their business model if they don't want to loose their users' trust. The saddest thing is that people accustom themselves to the fact that they are being used because Facebook tends to be addictive. Even I, knowing the company's intentions, don't feel ready to give up on my social network.

One thing is certain: Facebook is blessed with an incredible base of brand loyal users. The executive team has to use this in a positive way if it doesn't want to turn Facebook into an unethical company. Because to me, that is what's happening right now.

Making Twistory

Last week, the Library of Congress announced that it will save all the public tweets from the day Twitter was created until the end of time....Or just until the end of social networks if that moment ever happens!

As surprising and unexpected as it sounds, this piece of news is really serious and deserves our full attention as users of Twitter and people involved in social media. I think this new initiative tells a lot on how public opinion is starting to consider social media in a way it never did. The 140 characters messages from millions of anonymous people along with celebrities will go in the archives of the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, becoming a part of “the universal body of human knowledge.”

As meaningful that step is on a historical angle, it is only legitimate to ask ourselves if all of this makes sense.

Are we being watched ?

It's probably human instinct to think that an institution interested in saving people's personal data is plotting something. The first thing I told myself when I heard the news was "Just another way to limitate privacy and freedom of speech". But I actually think my reaction was naive. It's one thing to be paranoid about companies or government trying to get information about people. But when it comes to a cultural entity like this one, I think we can let our guard down for once. After all, you can always choose to make your tweets private, like I do.

Are we making Twistory?

After reassuring myself on the privacy issue, I started to wonder if Twitter was really worth saving. Do people's tweets on personal doings or ordinary actions reveal something about our society or are we giving Twitter way more attention than it deserves ? It may sound weird to care about John Doe's personal feelings on random subjects, but it actually is a part of history to some extend. “This is an entirely new addition to the historical record, the second-by-second history of ordinary people,” said Fred R. Shapiro, associate librarian and lecturer at the Yale Law School. I have to agree, because if we wouldn't have kept letters or diaries written centuries ago, many traditions or social characteristics of certain times would have been ignored.

So in the end, I think this is a great initiative. I don't know if the tweets will help our grand-grandchildren to understand our society better, but at least, it shows that we care about knowledge of human kind.

Though one more realistic question remains:

Why did the Library of Congress and Twitter decided to team up? Is it only for culture's sake, or is there something more behind? This decision serves a lot of interests, as Twitter gains credibility and the Library of Congress makes one step forward into the digital area.

What's YOUR opinion?

More on that subject:

The New York Times

The Guardian

Social Media Vs. Human Nature

Today I discovered a website related to Twitter that I find absolutely amazing!

It's called What the trend, and its purpose is to list the most popular tweets, showing people's favorite subject on Twitter.

The week in review caught my attention, it's a page that provides a top 20 of Twitter's trends of the week.

I noticed that there are three kinds of tweets:

Those about the news

The week in review actually gives an overview of the news.

It shows that people talk about April's Fool, Easter, Earth Hour, but also Ricky Martin coming out of the closet! The subjects of the tweets are topical, which once again proves that Twitter became a full-fledged news platform.

Those about virtual activities

Many trends are about new ways to entertain that are specific to social media.

For example, the number one is sharing music through the network, and the third is to list other people to follow. This category of tweets is interesting because it shows that social media can lead to new activities.

Those about people's feelings

Sometimes, the tweets are nothing but the reflection of human's behavior. And that's the funniest kind of tweet! There are things I didn't even realize people talked about on Twitter. Not only whatthetrend.com reveals popular tweets, it also reveals human nature! Indeed, twitterers share the mood they're in. The number 9 trend of the week is "Don't you hate when" and number 11 "I love". People also use Twitter as a way to share their own vision by saying things others should stop doing, or claiming one thing is nolonger cool.

I think this website is an incredible tool for a sociological approach of social media, it tells a lot about the behaviors of the users. Being aware of its existence helps me to accomplish my mission as a blogger: reflecting about the impact of social media on society.

This made me ask myself a question that I can't seem to answer since I don't have any hindsight:

Do social media change us by creating a virtual version of ourselves or are they just a reflection of who we truly are?

And by who we are I mean cranky human beings!

We might know the answer in a few years, but since I don't like to wait, can you take a guess?

Are You An Influent Twitterer?

I feel that Twitter is a more professional social network than Facebook. The people I follow and those who follow me are not necessarily my friends on Facebook and in life. I use Twitter to get in touch with co-workers or even professors, but not to really say what's on my mind.

Thanks to a website called We Follow, I started to follow people with a lot of influence in the social media field like Pete Cashmore from Mashable or TechCrunch. Wefollow.com provides the list of people who have the biggest number of followers in different categories (celebrities, news, social media...). It's really helpful for me because these twitterers constantly talk about things that I need to know as a Communications major.

You can add yourself to Wefollow.com if you want to measure your influence on Twitter. But if you're anything like me, you'd rather directly go twinfluence.com where you don't need to fill out anything just to realize that you don't have any influence!

Social media are more than just the platforms themselves. You have to dig a little to see the whole universe around and how you can take advantage of it. That's what I'm going to do! I really feel I should use Twitter to promote my blog. My influence might be really small for the moment, at least I know it! With all these tools in my hands, I should be able to make it bigger!

So I might as well start right now:

Follow me on Twitter at Live_from_Liv

My First (Chaotic) Experience On Chatroulette

Today I tried something new and feel the need to tell the world about it, or at least telling you, dear readers!

Lately, a lot of my friends were talking about a new website called Chatroulette. I even noticed people on my Facebook page referring to it on their status and I must admit I felt like an outcast not knowing what it was. So I figured it was up to me to learn more about this new trend that is making so much noise, or at least virtual noise.

The concept of Chatroulette is simple but quite interesting. It's a a website that pairs random strangers around the world for webcam-based conversations. So basically, the point of Chatroulette is to start an online chat (video, audio, text) with another visitor. At anytime, you can stop the conversation and start another one with a new person, hence the word roulette.

All you need to do to experience Chatroulette is to accept the webcam invitation that pops out once you're on the website, and click on "new game" to see your new correspondent and start a conversation. I was so sceptical about total strangers being able to see me that I kept clicking on "next" to wait for a face that I could trust. Unfortunately, that moment never happened, it actually kept getting worst. All the visitors were men and let's just say that one of them wasn't all about chatting.

Anyway, if you never tried Chatroulette, I recommend you to do it with a friend so it's less intimidating and actually funny. Although my personal experience was chaotic, I still think it is an interesting social concept. Even if it is not considered as a social media, Chatroulette tends to redefine the notion of network. This website defends the idea that the Internet becomes a global network and that borders between users are pushed further and further.

It is interesting to see that several celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher have been spotted on Chatroulette. Though nothing can confirm it was really him, it wouldn't be surprising considering that the young actor was one of the first star using Twitter.

Chatroulette was created last year by a 17 year-old russian. The website is recent and time will show if celebrities or maybe businesses have any interest in it. Companies may start using it to launch virtual events and create a buzz, who knows? Some artists like Faith No More have already started to experience Chatroulette by broadcasting their concert on it.

The concept is still under construction and should have more regulation, but it could change the rules of social media as we know them.

Is Internet A Fundamental Right?

Yesterday Google put an end to the censorship of its own search engine in China by sending all the users back to a new version of the platform based in Hong Kong.

The reason why Google did so is because the Internet in China is actually more like a huge Intranet. Chinese people's access to the web represents a really limited offer. The giant of search engine couldn't be legal in the country without obeying the communist government's law, which include withholding information.

Chinese rules don't apply to Hong Kong which benefits a special status. Google is then getting round the repressive regime by launching a new version of its website from there. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean Chinese people will be able to have a wider access to the Internet. The government has installed a system forbidding the search of certain words. The only difference is that Google is no longer involved in it.

Although it won't stop censorship in China, I think the company made an honourable decision. Providing a censored version of Google will be like standing for the a government that is preventing people from informing themselves. Beyond the fact that this is a violation of a fundamental right, it would be completely antinomic for Google to be associated to such facts.

Speaking of universal right, a BBC World service study recently revealed that almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right. I think it's not by chance that dictatorships have always wanted to retrain information. The less people know, the easier it is to fool them. Information is power. That is why social media are dangerous for dictatorship, it gives people a voice they never had. This is exactly what happened during the rebellion in Iran last year, Twitter and Youtube were the only platforms where people could testify.

Though it is not always used the right way, Internet is definitely a inelinable right to me.

What's your opinion on that?

Is TV Obsolete?

Today, the French regional elections did more than just putting President Sarkozy's party aside, it also discredited television as the number one media for major political events.

The Internet was the first media to reveal the estimates of French people's votes, two hours before the official results. Journalists played a major role in this leak of information by posting the first results on Twitter. Since I wasn't able to follow the elections on television, I must say that I was not against the idea of being aware of what was happening.

But what I didn't know is that what happend online was totally illegal. The French law on the publication of elections' results is pretty clear, and the journalists took a considerable risk. That's why they erased their tweets within the next minute, just so the followers have the time to take over the information. The Internet is moving so fast that it's becoming out of control, almost like a place where rules don't apply.

When the actual official results came on TV two hours later, people were tweeting and commenting the shows, pointing out how late television is. This exemple shows that people can no longer wait for information. Not that the Internet got us used to immediacy, we can't go back. That's why I think we are facing the time when television has become obsolete.

So when people will start to ask you where you were when television died, you will probably answer Twitter!

How The Internet Changed My Life

One of the reasons why I care about this blog is because I realized how much the Internet changes my life. Knowing how to use the web and social media represents a precious opportunity, and I want to share my experience with you.

Whatever your passion is, you can find it online. The web enables me to quench my musical thirst. There's a website called Onlygroove I used to visit a lot for its reviews and articles. You've probably never heard of it unless you're French and love urban music.

One day, I was reading a very interesting article but I noticed a few mistakes. I felt like writing to the staff just to let them know, so I clicked on the contact rubric to get an e-mail address. But something else caught my attention:

"The members of the editorial staff of Onlygroove are volunteer writers, specialized in a field they chose to share in order to help, inform or to make the "groove culture" evolve. New passionate and experienced writers are welcome, don't hesitate to send us your application or exemples of articles."

And that's the story of how I became a writer for Onlygroove! I had always dreamed about making my own contribution to music, but I just didn't know how. Now, I get to share what I love the most, and it wouldn't have been this easy if I had applied for a magazine, a radio station or a TV channel. This opportunity means the world to me, and it's a great experience that will open many doors in the future.

Thanks to social media, my articles have a wider audience than the readers of Onlygroove. As soon as a new article that I wrote is online, I share a link on Facebook and all my network of friends, family or co-workers is able to read it, like it, and comment it. Now people know about my activity and come to me to talk about music and ask my opinion. I also use Twitter to keep in touch with the people I work with. I had the chance to interview R'n'B singer Jeremih and he asked me to tweet him once the interview is online. We stayed in contact and he promised to reach out to Onlygroove next time he'll be in Paris. How amazing is this?

Now you tell me...How did the Internet and Social Media changed YOUR life?

The Internet and Social Media Take Over The News

Pew Research Center reveals how the Internet and social media change the American news landscape in a survey called "Understanding the Participatory News Consumers".

According to the study, the Internet is now the third most popular news platform behind local television and national television news.

I can't say that I'm surprised by this result because I can personally relate to it. The Internet has changed a lot in the way we reach news, or should I say the way they reach to us? The first information I get when I wake up is not on TV, radio or newspapers anymore, but on my home page. As crazy as it may sound, checking my Facebook profile is the last thing I do before I go to bed and the first thing I do in the morning. Like many students, I don't own a TV, but I couldn't live without the Internet anymore. It became my first source of information. For example, I learned about the historical passing of the health care bill via Twitter.

Truth is, we no longer depend on the traditional media to know what's going on. You can be in bed and still be aware of the latest news. We don't wait until we get outside to read the news because we don't have to. Technology now allows a permanent flow of information.

But it doesn't mean that traditional media are dead, they are just evolving as they face the digital area. The study also reveals that six in ten Americans get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day.

Despite my obivous addiction to the Internet and social media, I think this statement is reassuring. Even the Internet is the first media on everything, I feel the need to read the newspaper, listen to a radio interview or watch a documentary on television whenever I want to learn more about one particular subject. I will buy The Times, or The Economist for historical events because I think print media have more prestige. Plus I fell it's important to have something to remember majors news.

One of the survey's conclusions is that modern news are portable, personalized and participatory.

The Internet, social media and smartphones gave the power to the audience who can not only access to information easiy but also contribute to the news by creating content. That's exactly what I'm doing right now. Somehow, and on a lower scale, I'm making news by writing on this blog.

What about you?

Did you notice any difference in the way you consume news ever since you started to use the Internet and social media?

Welcome to 6 Degrees!

Welcome to my new blog about social media!
Before getting started, I would like you to know more about this exciting project and make you want to be a part of it!

Who Am I?
A child of the social networks generation, studying communications and media at City College of New York.

What is 6 Degrees?
A blog about the impact of social media on society.
6 Degrees refers to the Six Degrees of Seperation theory on which the concept of social media is based.

Why does this blog matter?
Because social media are changing the way we interact with each other, the way we consider relationships, the way we make business and money, and the way we consume the news.

My goal is to be a part of this evolution instead of just putting up with it.

How will this blog work?

By sharing my experience, being myself a member of this great family called social media.

By staying aware of the new trends that are happening now and everywhere on the web. And most importantly, by learning from all of you.

Whether we like it or not, social media are the future.

And this time the future is on the tips of our fingers!

I hope you will enjoy your visit on 6 Degrees...