Bri Henderson

Dr.Bailie

Engl 2089

30 November 2019

The Discourse Community of Twitter

 Aside from the discourse communities we’ve discussed in class, most of which being centered around education or law, there are many other discourse communities that we participate in on a regular basis. With social media being one of the biggest forms of communication in our world today, there is constant discourse on these platforms that pertain to a very wide range of topics and ideas. Social media gives us access to get our thoughts and ideas out there very quickly and to a very large group of people online. More specifically, Twitter is a very good example of a social media discourse community that allows individuals to give out opinions, ideas and comments to anyone. 

Twitter is one discourse community that I can say I’m actively apart of and engaged in. Since your Twitter feed is based on accounts that you voluntarily follow, what you see on the social app usually consists of things you are interested in and want to keep updated on. Topics such as politics, celebrities, television and media are commonly discussed. Along with these discussions, people take to Twitter to post their thoughts, feelings and any relevant comments regarding these topics. For example, if you are interested in politics, you may follow accounts that represent and discuss your political beliefs. Meaning, you have similar beliefs to these types of account you follow. Since these accounts are kin to your interests and beliefs, you may find that this content and documents may contain bias’, stereotypes and arguments. In instances such as these, where people can effortlessly express their ideas and opinions to the public, issues can arise and others could be offended and reject this input. 

I joined Twitter back in 2012 to stay connected to my peers and other aquantinces, and also to keep up to date with world news/stories. Since joining, I have been able to learn more about what’s going on in the world and get different view points regarding many topics. How Twitter is constructed and set up allows  people to add to conversations and provide their opinions or thoughts. Today, we see many scandals over social media, such as twitter that arise from controversial topics. Racism has been an ongoing argument in today’s times and continues to bring in many different perspectives from a wide range of people. I chose Twitter, and the discourse that takes place on the App, as my artifact because there is such a variety of opinions seen on the platform. A lot of times when there is such a plethora of opinions and statements regarding serious issues/topics, unwelcome and harmful things can be said and people are likely to be offended. I have noticed myself when I engage myself on Twitter, I’m very open and honest about my beliefs and the things I belief in. I would agree that most people who are apart of this social discourse community also go out of their way to state where the stand on current topics/issues.  Ecspecially with topics like racism and politics, I have found myself and others being quite aggressive when defending our beliefs towards the subject. No matter what side one chooses to support, topics like this can make for a lot of back and forth conversation and arguments. The discourse community of Twitter is very opinionated/up front by nature so I often find my behavior changing and taking a similar approach when conveying my thoughts regarding racism/political beliefs. When I contribute to the discourse I try to make it very honest, genuine and free-spoken. In these times I’ve represented myself in this community to outside audience, conflict has arose from me speaking out. Ousiders have seen be as crude and temperamental from things I’ve said. 

By going deeper into the discourse community of Twitter, I have realized how many different voices and minds contribute to all of the content on the site. This can have both good and bad consequences because it brings a variety of individuals together to participate in many different discourses regarding so many matters. This can be seen as beneficial because it gives the members a chance to widen their frame of reference and attitudes towards these subjects. But on the downside, just like any other discourse community, it can create opposition and criticism within its members. I wanted to use Twitter and it’s material for my cause-effect narrative to show others how purposeful and relevant the discourse can be on the app, especially concerning important subjects taking place in our world today. Though it can be seen as early a social media app, the can be meaning and learning found in the discourse and discussions that take place here.