"Twitter is a real-time information network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover what’s happening now.
Twitter asks “what’s happening” and makes the answer spread across the globe to millions, immediately."
From Twitter's About section.
Spread across the globe to millions, immediately. Kinda scary. I would like to know if people were out there tweeting about blowing up the Richmond International Airport...I fly out of there usually and am usually nervous enough to begin with so I'd appreciate if airport security was on top of that but where is the line? Private thoughts and immediate reactions are no longer private because we send them out over the WORLD WIDE WEB at the speed of light. I appreciate my freedom on the internet but I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to airport security. But I do feel horrible for this Paul Chambers guy. Even though airport security officials and police don't see him as a threat, he has lost jobs and is now nearly bankrupt. Unless he can get the guilty verdict appealed, he will have a hard time getting a job because he now has a criminal record. All because of a tweet.
I sympathize with him. He probably didn’t mean it all. I too have said some things on twitter I didn’t mean -- like pawning an ex's High School Ring. I didn’t even do it. I was just angry and tweeted about it.
ReplyDeleteHowever with the history of our country things said and broadcasted to the world wide web cannot be taken as lightly.
I want to say "If he was really going to do it, would he be as dumb to tweet it?" --Probably not, but it’s too serious of a matter to overlook.
I guess I’m stuck at a standstill. I’m glad I’m not on the jury.
Me too! I would be waffling back and forth. Such a tough call to make
ReplyDeleteInteresting story! I agree this is a fine line between freedom of speech vs. security/safety. I wonder how many people threaten to kill others or do something destructive daily via Twitter...
ReplyDeleteI wonder! The stats would probably be a little terrifying. Imagine if each one was taken seriously....
ReplyDeleteI just tried to search for the word "kill" on Twitter but I think I typed it in the wrong box (I'm still not 100% capable when it comes to Twitter).
I think you have to be careful when talking about things via twitter and other virtual medias. While people may exaggerate or say things they would not usually say, I think we need more of an awareness on the issue that just because the internet provides a sense of anonymity, it does not mean you can go around and say wild/dangerous things and not expect to get in trouble. It is still communication, and all communication should be taken seriously!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda. With the kind of world we live in today, people should be conscious of the fact that they can't say stuff like that anymore. I'm glad they got on top of him about it because if they weren't so worried about it, what happens when there is that one tweet or whatever that has some truth to it and they do nothing about it? You really do need to be careful about what you say whether it be about something like this or just any other super personal info that could end up harming you in the end. You can still communicate your anger in a way that doesn't go overboard like this guy did.
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