Writing for the Nieman Journalism Lab, Jason Fry recently discussed a South Korean academic paper, entitle "What is Twitter, a Social Network or a News Media," which examined what characterizes Twitter as a hybrid social networking and news media site.

Journalists and other members of the media industry have already embraced the social networking site Twitter. Users have a limited space of only 140 characters in which they can post snippets of information about anything that interests them. The website is constantly used by a spectrum of nearly 41.7 million users who cultivate followers through their tweets. One of the more interesting aspects of Twitter, separating it from social net working websites like Facebook, is the fact that information is largely one way. Fry explains that Facebook relationships are "two-way " 'friendships' " while relationships on Twitter "don't have to be reciprocal -- there's no need to follow someone back who is following you." According to the research paper, only 22.1% of Twitter relationships are reciprocal.

This means that users on Twitter disperse information without any concern for whom is receiving it. Even though the majority of 'tweets' concern things that users find interesting and vary between current events and personal feelings, the fact that Twitter is largely one-way lead the researchers to define the site news distribution outlet.

Despite these aspects of Twitter, Fry believes that the "the researchers' rationale for saying Twitter isn't a social network strikes [is] more a question of definitions than anything else."

Fry's analysis comes from his own experience on Facebook, with nearly 700 'friends:' the "the majority of [whom]" he has "never communicated with." Fry believes that the recent changes Facebook made allowing users to 'like' posts made by friends is "one-way" and in his view similar to 're-tweeting' on Twitter. Using different methods, both sites are really just "a vehicle that allows information to flow."

In asking the question, "Why should two-way media produce mostly one-way interactions;" Fry laments the failure of social networks to capitalize on the two-way nature inherent in social networking. To a certain extent, the ability to 'like' or 're-tweet' the things said by another is itself a form of interaction. Even though there is less real conversation occurring between users on social networking sites, perhaps the real power of these services lies in the ability for users to share information with one another.

Source: Nieman Journalism Lab