Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
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Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#2There's a bizarre focus on Larry Page buying it for whatever reason. Sounds almost like a plea.
But hey, let's imagine that's possible - why do we want Google guy to run Twitter, too. What does that solve? Google has already tried and "failed" in the social area, Page buying it doesn't strike me as some kind of panacea.
What this election cycle has proven to me is that the old media and rapidly more and more of the new media censors things they or various friends of theirs don't agree with, and that doesn't sound like a path to a healthy society to me. The media's problem isn't about being "Old", it's about trust, and expecting people who have built the modern landscape to take a different path seems naive.
There's no evidence that modern social or political discourse is made better by Twitter. Some people seem convinced that Twitter shouldn't just die as is natural. Why?
Twitter strikes me as a platform where the existing media and celebrities pat themselves on the back. Of course media would think it such an important tool, but the average person doesn't get value from it unless we really like to hear Donald Trump's unfiltered thoughts at 3 AM. Personally, don't find that especially compelling.
Edit:
The country’s pre-eminent newspapers, including this one, have long been controlled by families who have understood that the press is not just an ordinary industry, but a civic calling. Twitter is not yet treated as hallowed, but it has the makings of an institution that could be.
I find this in particular hilariously out of touch. At least we're now admitting that families control the country, but let's not act like what the press has been doing for some time now is is anything like a civic calling. This election wouldn't be a complete disaster if the media had been doing its job instead of entertaining or pandering. If that's the standard that the media is holding itself to, then Twitter doesn't have a high bar to clear.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#3There's a bizarre focus on Larry Page buying it for whatever reason. Sounds almost like a plea. But hey, let's imagine that's possible - why do we want Google guy to run Twitter, too. What does that solve? Google has already tried and "failed" in the social area, Page buying it doesn't strike me as some kind of panacea. What this election cycle has proven to me is that the old media and rapidly more and more of the n…
I share a similar opinion. Twitter is not special to me, nor do I believe it holds a special place for anyone outside of those select few who. The purpose of the media is to filter nonsense about politics (and celebrities if that's your cuppa). Twitter somehow seems to be seen as valuable by doing the opposite?
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#4While this is a valid solution, Twitter has to go into bankruptcy first for this to happen. One of the challenges of being a publicly traded company is that these types of creative financing through equity can't happen quickly.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#5While this is a valid solution, Twitter has to go into bankruptcy first for this to happen. One of the challenges of being a publicly traded company is that these types of creative financing through equity can't happen quickly.
> Twitter has to go into bankruptcy first
Not necessarily. It just needs to shave off about 90% of its market cap. That means management gets fired and the Board replaced; they don't want that.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#6There's a bizarre focus on Larry Page buying it for whatever reason. Sounds almost like a plea. But hey, let's imagine that's possible - why do we want Google guy to run Twitter, too. What does that solve? Google has already tried and "failed" in the social area, Page buying it doesn't strike me as some kind of panacea. What this election cycle has proven to me is that the old media and rapidly more and more of the n…
In a similar sense, it seems like there's an additional fixation (I see it in a lot of places) on thinking of Twitter as a news platform. It's true for obvious reasons that Twitter can "get you closer to the action" and you can "see things happening in real time" (I guess), but I'm still skeptical that we should think about it as a news platform for the exact reasons you outlined.
I've seen it pointed out here elsewhere that Twitter and sports can sort of go hand in hand. I do enjoy watching the World Series feed, or if there are solid NBA match-ups NBA Twitter can be pretty fun.
I'm not really sure what that means, other than (gulp) maybe Disney could actually find some use for it with ESPN content? Trying really hard, here.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#7There's a bizarre focus on Larry Page buying it for whatever reason. Sounds almost like a plea. But hey, let's imagine that's possible - why do we want Google guy to run Twitter, too. What does that solve? Google has already tried and "failed" in the social area, Page buying it doesn't strike me as some kind of panacea. What this election cycle has proven to me is that the old media and rapidly more and more of the n…
I can only agree that newspapers believing themselves as impartial is hilarious, given the agenda many of them openly push, from industrialists, to liberalists, to patriots, etc. For much of their existence their purpose was to promulgate a PoV. Maybe the NYT does suffer from hubris thinking it's been immune from the same.
They very well may be better "now" but even then it's a stretch to believe they thought that it was the civic calling rather than believing it was _their kind_ of civic calling.
The idea is more an ideal than reality, sadly.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#8I think most journalists would not necessarily agree with the proposition that Twitter has been good for journalism or the public discourse.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#9While I agree with the article's intent, we're missing the forest for the trees. The reason a billionaire has to do this is because it can't be done with traditional business models.
Twitter is infrastructure. Rapid bursts of semi-trustworthy data for us to consume and consider, at our own peril. That Twitter has to change its core behavior providing that service in order to make revenue is the problem. The value it provides is intangible in current financial models.
When I talk about this stuff, I think the value or commodity of a thing Twitter is such that current financial models cannot describe it properly. It feels as if we need a different type of business model to deal with keeping the business side of these houses in business.
Call it a suffering coin, if you will.
Re: Twitter Has an Old Media Problem, Here’s a Solution
#10So the solution for Twitter's problem is to find an idiot willing to pay $12 billion for a medium that many people consider the digital equivalent of an open sewer? An idiot who's willing to spend another few billion dollars to turn that sewer in a hallowed spring for journalism? And Larry Page is supposed to be that idiot? Good luck with that.
Twitter hasn't an old media problem, Twitter's problem is that it has a goal, but no vision. That goal right now is profitability, no matter what. Twitter started out as a micro-blogging platform, but the company seems to be at a loss what it wants to be now or in the future. They have something, but they they don't know what to do with it, causing them to keep treading on the spot. And treading water, especially sewage water, is not a healthy long-term strategy.