Twitter, a fellow student suggested today, is itself a gate-keeper. It gives voice to only a selected group of people: those with English-speaking language skills and Western standards.
We had spent much of the class discussing the evolution of gate-keepers in the history of media. Resrticting control over content were the clergy, the government, advertisers, editors and producers. But in the era of new media technologies, the gate-keepers of information are yet again to change.
Some of us agreed that social media has opened new communication channels that make us, the community, the ultimate gate-keepers of content. Others disagreed with our vision and backed up their arguments with examples from personal life.
Originally from Pakistan, Mariya briefly described the situation with Twitter in Pakistan. Firstly, most Pakistanis don't have Internet access, she said. Secondly, they don't know English. Thirdly, they lack the necessary education for Web site navigation. As a result, those who are privileged tweet and these are the only voices we hear.
Could Twitter be the new gate-keeper?
Photo credit: Buck Lewis