Social media make legends

Human beings have always found a way to rally and discuss issues in society. In the days of the town crier, people would gather around and listen to the news of their world and then stand around and discuss ideas.

Coffee shops became a masculine place for minds to meet and ideas to circulate; washing areas were where women got together to add to the debates. It’s not inconceivable that society’s first intellectuals gathered around some communal space and began debating. It is from these spaces that great things begin to happen in society.

In the digital era, where space and time became less important, those communal intellectual spaces are more virtual. Social networks have become spaces of popular debate; news events and everything important in society is bashed about in cyberspace between individuals who are as far removed as is possible.

South Africans love to debate; we have a wonderful way of gathering around and expressing our ideas and opinions vociferously in public spaces. So it’s no wonder that South Africans are one of the world’s fastest growing Twitter communities.

Cyber Fad

With the recent events in South Africa, from the World Cup to Eugene Terre’Blanche’s murder, South African social networkers have been getting more and more involved in the debate.

One of the most interesting social media campaigns was the SpeakZA. It didn’t really catch on, but it serves as a good illustration of the way that social media can contribute to debates around current events.

Although there were not nearly enough bloggers to make the blackout a success, news media caught on to the idea and the Malema debate raged strong. Social media was soon the news of the day as public debate turned into something a little less constructive and a little more nasty.

The latest issues around Eugene Tereblanche (the right wing AWB leader)’s possible latent homosexuality, and ‘don’t touch me on my studio’ have become veritable pop culture classics; thanks in no small part to the power of social networks and the outspokenness of South Africans.

Twitter and Facebook have undoubtedly become the way we love to talk about things – and as long as you don’t touch me on my studio, I will be listening!

Many thanks to ZaNews for always being on top of things, and for this lovely mashup of a mashup. Great stuff.