Twitter's Credibility Crisis

"Not everything you read on Twitter is factual or true", how often have we heard people utter those words. However, when we hear of a piece of news all too frequently, it immediately becomes credible. Twitter has that power to do so. For example, The Times (2010) reported that rumours about France’s President Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruni having extra-marital relationships were spread and the news got on twitter. Although being a complete fabrication, the news quickly spread in a matter of minutes. With the efficiency of sharing information with the existence of the retweet button, people would not even bother to check their facts before posting. Moreover, there have also been cases of fake celebrity or company accounts on Twitter. These imposters post up complete lies. Albeit being funny, it gives a blow to Twitter's credibility. Like that of a fake BP account @BPGlobalPR, sending out tweets that mock the efforts of BP's public relations sector with tweets that go like "Think about it this way, the ocean is like rootbeer and oil is like ice cream. We just made America a giant rootbeer float!," and "Really worried about the effect this disaster will have on bikini season. The sun is still shining ladies, get out there!,". (Heussner, 2010) These tweets are offensive to BP’s public relations sector as they are giving their best to combat the situation. On the other hand, with its increasing popularity, twitter has in a way made a big impact on media journalism. They are now under pressure to produce fast news. Now, media journalists have to face a much bigger competition than bloggers, which is Twitter. (Dawson, 2009) However, this heightened pressure to be the first to post out a piece of information and the problem of accurate reporting is said to be unbalanced. This is because journalists do not care if the news is reliable or truthful. In order to capture viewer’s attention and gain a larger following. However, with that said, Twitter is still useful in one way or another. It helps to bring people closer, get questions answered, expand one’s social and professional network, promote items or work and learn of important news or facts. (Zelenka, 2007) It also acts as a platform for one to vent their emotions or thoughts at that moment, being a form of expressing ones individuality.

                                                        The Twitter Universe

References:

Heussner, KM 2010, Fake BP Twitter Account Mocks Oil Spill PR Efforts, viewed 14 November 2010, <http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/fake-bp-twitter-account-mocks-oil-spill-pr/story?id=10737669>

The Times 2010, Twitter, Credibility and Truth, viewed 14 November 2010, <http://www.wasaweb.net/en/articles/internet-twitter-credibility-and-truth.html>

Zelenka, A 2007, Eight Ways Twitter is Useful Professionally, viewed 14 November 2010, <http://gigaom.com/collaboration/eight-ways-twitter-is-useful-professionally/>