Reading Responses to How Black People Use Twitter

By now there have been a number of responses/reactions to the Slate article, "How Black People Use Twitter," written by Farhad Manjoo on August 10. I've followed the tweets, the blogs, the Facebook comments, etc. but there are three blog posts I read yesterday that really get at the heart of why people have taken issue with the piece. From my own point of view, I can say that the article comes across almost as a fascination that black people use twitter, or that black people use twitter so well that black youth know how to get their topics to trend.

I don't know, maybe I'm over analyzing but it takes me back to the days of Blogging While Black and Where Are The Black Tech Bloggers? But I really don't think that I'm over reacting or analyzing, why? It's because I know there is a larger conversation and larger bodies of anthropological, sociological, and ethnographic work that build a larger and broader context for which this instance of black people's use of twitter fits within. Anyway, my own POV aside, let's hear from the writers who gave me more to think about on this topic, with a couple of quotes from each:

How One Black Person Responds to "How Black People Use Twitter"
by Scott Poulson-Bryant

"The first time I read the article I was a bit bemused by it; my first thought was, well, should anyone be surprised that black folks happen upon some existing entity and re-create it to fit their own style? Of course not, American history is rife with musical, sartorial, and cultural shifts caused by the mere re-arrangement of codes that black folks decided to use to make things sound, look, and just work better for themselves—and eventually anyone else who decided to come to the party (sometimes stealing it in the process, but cultural theft is a blog post for another day)."

"Nor does he seem to understand his article’s place in the larger context of the racialized responses to both the supposed lack of literacy among black folks and the surprise that’s often noted of black folks’ sophisticated use of language—whether written or orally performed—dating from, say, Phillis Wheatley right up to some of the awe and wonder that greeted the early emcees of rap as it exploded out of the hood."

"What I didn’t know was that I was doing something so African-American that someone would write an article about it and act like it was the newest thing since the call-and-response we’ve heard on vinyl since voices started getting recorded. I also know this: if you’re going to write about blackness and “black people,” at least understand the long legacy of reportage and study and field-work that’s gone into making your work possible. "

On Black Tags, Brown Birds and Racial Tourism on Twitter
by Liza Sabater

"To assume these conversations are happening in closed up groups or ghettos is to bring a whole set of assumptions that do not reflect neither the reality of the social interaction nor the reality of the technology and media where its happening. "

"The #BlackTagging Choire Sicha and Farhad Manjoo seem to be addicted to  is nothing more than fun and games as a social app as opposed to a system app. Meaning, Twitter has already a history with @replies and #hashtags of users becoming builders and architects of their own user interfaces and experiences. The #blacktag phenomenon is just one example of how users create fun and games without having to know how to code. The #blacktags are like ephemeral game apps."

A Response to Farhad Manjoo's "How Black People Use Twitter"
by Jessica Faye Carter

"I don’t see Manjoo’s article as racist. I believe he was genuinely intrigued by what he terms “blacktags” (I’ll refer to it as the Black memeplex) and the level of influence they have garnered on Twitter. He followed up on his initial observation with what is evidently a sincere effort to understand the phenomenon. Even if we disagree with his method of analysis or conclusions, casting aspersions on his legitimate work has the effect of forestalling a discussion that many of us are interested in having. His efforts merit a response that is at least equally serious."

"The tendency to focus on ethnic heritage as the definitive aspect of a person’s identity presents a major challenge to discourse on culture and social media, because it ignores the layered existences in which most people reside. Manjoo notes that the Black memeplex he is discussing isn’t entirely Black—it includes people of other ethnicities, and is diverse in terms of national origin, age, and socioeconomic level, and probably in other characteristics, as well. So how did the group he’s studying get reduced to only a Black identity?"

"Why the interest in what Blacks are doing on Twitter? In a way, inquiring about Black youth on Twitter is vaguely reminiscent of the question “Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?” The answer, of course, is that plenty of different ethnic groups are sitting together but groups who are predominantly “Black” or otherwise differentiated are the ones whose behavior gets noticed. Are Blacks doing something unusual on Twitter? No. But their actions are drawing interest, at least in part, because Blacks are involved."

"All of this is to say that the title of Manjoo’s article was incongruent with its subject matter. His post didn’t really seem to be about how Blacks use Twitter, rather it was an inquiry into why hashtags that originate with Black youth consistently reach the level of trending topics on Twitter. This is a completely different kettle of fish."

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Video: Can Social Save Media? (Supernova Forum 2010)

Supernova Forum 2010 panel featuring Moderator Peter Fader (Wharton), Jim Bankoff (SB Nation), Lynne Johnson (Advertising Research Foundation), Anita Ondine (Seize the Media), Dina Kaplan (Blip.tv):

The old business models for media clearly aren’t working any more. User-generated content is at least part of the solution, but how can it match the quality and scale of what it replaces? Are original shows produced for the web and other interactive media a third category between professional and amateur content? Can new approaches incorporate the best of traditional and social media? What data and examples can we point to as guidelines for success in restructuring media and advertising businesses?

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Upcoming Speak Dates: Women Who Tech, Web 2.0, Brand Camp

While I'm still on hiatus from my main blog here at lynnedjohnson.com, I've been blogging over at ARF Social Media Insights on MediaBizBloggers.

My last piece, "Can Social Media Effectively Track Influence?" deals with the conversations happening around Social Media ROI, metrics, and measuring influence.

Also, I've been doing some presentations and research here and there, and you can usually find the presentations and papers over on my slideshare account.

And while I haven't made much progress with my Web developer (jbrotherlove) on getting a new design and CMS up here pronto, I have been busy out there speaking about social media.

Past events can be found on my speaking page, and an updated list of upcoming appearances is below. (I've also been trying to post any video from any of these engagements here on the blog, just in case you're interested in the content.)

September 15, 2010
Self Promotion: Is This Really a Rant About Gender? Panelist
Women Who Tech Telesummit | Everywhere

September 28, 2010
Augmented Reality for Marketers: Mapping the Future of Consumer Interactions Co-presenter
Web 2.0 Expo New York 2010 | New York, NY

October 8, 2010
TBD Presenter
Brand Camp University: Brand Camp 10 | Southfield, MI

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Video: Social Media's Open Graph

ARF Audience Measurement 5.0: Social Media's Open Graph

Social networking sites are set to connect disparate areas of the web that are currently being built by other social sites (Pandora for music, Yelp for small business etc.). The goal—a smarter, more personalized, more social media environment. What transformational effects will these have on the social media as we know it today? How will audiences of these new “entities” be measured? Panelists will debate and prognosticate.

MODERATOR: Andy Fisher – EVP, Global Data & Analytics Director, Starcom MediaVest Digital

PANELISTS:
Les Hollander – Director of Radio Sales, Pandora
Lynne d Johnson – SVP, Social Media, The ARF
Radha Subramanyam – Vice President, Head of Corporate and Media Research, Yahoo!
Max Ventilla – Head Zoo Keeper, Google

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Summer Hiatus and Nine Year Blogoversary

I'm taking a much needed break from trying to keep up with this blog for the summer. Lots going on in both the personal and professional lives, and it's also seriously much-needed time for a site overhaul. I really plan on getting that finished before September rolls around.

In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter for social media insights, conversations about Android phones, talk about the latest music, popular culture musings, and some fashion and gadgets updates via my tumblr style blog. You can also check in on my speaking page (from this site) to see where I'm speaking next.

I'll also be blogging a lot more regularly at my ARF Social Media Insights Blog on Jack Myers MediaBizBloggers. I plan to write a weekly column there about whatever I'm learning about social media from some of the ARF membership, the latest social media happenings in the news, and of course my own insights, tips, and advice. Writing about social media there will offer me the opportunity to focus this blog as it started (about music, media, and my life as a diary) nine years ago. The blog actually turns 9 on July 1. You can see my first posts here.

Have a Happy Summer!

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Update: ARF University - Social Media Bootcamp: Social Media for Research and Marketing (Agenda Added)

Social Media Bootcamp: Social Media For Research and Marketing

Monday, June 21, 2010 • 10:00AM–3:00PM

Location:
The Advertising Research Foundation
432 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor
New York City

Registration

$595 Member / $795 Non-Member (Includes Lunch)
$200 off for Audience Measurement 5.0 Registrants

Group Training Special – 3 for the price of 2!
$1,190 Member
$1,590 Non-Member
$200 off for Audience Measurement 5.0 Registrants

Register via My ARF »

Description

With millions of people participating on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, brands can no longer avoid social media as an effective research and marketing channel. In fact, if Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd largest country in the world. Data has shown that social networking is becoming the most popular activity online—even more popular than email or search. But what does this mean for your business?

This half-day workshop not only answers that question, but goes further to explore best practices for using social media as a research and marketing tool. And it’s not for beginners only, as we delve into:

• Setting up a listening strategy
• Creating actionable insights from listening
• Developing a social media marketing strategy

Learn how to move from listening, to actionable insights, to a well-thought out social media strategy. Hear case studies that identify the best tools for listening to the consumer, and the best ways to use social networks to listen to and engage your consumers.

Agenda

10:00–10:05AM

Welcome
Lynne d Johnson – SVP, Social Media, The ARF

10:05–12:30PM

The Foundations of Listening
Steve Rappaport – Knowledge Solutions Director, The ARF
Frank Cotignola – Consumer Insights Manager, CIS Center of Excellence, Knowledge Management at Kraft Foods
Exercise/workshop

12:30–1:30PM

Lunch
Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression
Facebook

1:30–2:00PM

How to Use Social Media to Boost Marketing Effectiveness
Lynne d Johnson – SVP, Social Media, The ARF

2:00–2:30PM

Suzuki Busa Beats Urban Challenge – Integrated Campaign Success Story
Jeff Rosenblum – Co-President, Questus, Inc.

2:30–3:00PM

Vitaminwater Connects with Consumers
Jason Harty – Brand Manager, vitaminwater®

LED BY:

Lynne d Johnson – SVP, Social Media, ARF
As ARF’s SVP Social Media, Lynne is responsible for the social media development strategy related to the organization’s content and brand. She also leads the ARF Social Media Council, which provides social media insights and research for the industry-at-large. As a consultant, Lynne works with Web and media properties on content, brand, and social media development and strategy. She’s also a sought after speaker, and has presented keynotes at conferences around the world such as London’s Future of Web Apps and Australia’s Web Directions. A widely published author and blogger, Lynne wrote the foreward for “Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build Their Brand,” by Shel Holtz and John C. Havens (Wiley, 2008), and she was also the technical editor for Google Voice for Dummies, by Bud E. Smith and Chris Dannen (For Dummies, 2009). As well she provided some technical editing for the second edition of “The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success,” by Lon Safko and David K. Brake (Wiley, TBD). Currently, Lynne blogs ARF’s Social Media Insights for the Jack Myers MediaBizBlog. Prior to joining the ARF Lynne was the senior editor and community director for FastCompany.com, a leading business innovation website that also features Fast Company magazine.

Steve Rappaport – Knowledge Solutions Director, ARF
As ARF's Knowledge Solutions Director, Steve creates products and services organizing disparate sources into valuable tools for ARF members, such as ARF PowerSearch, and the industry-at-large like ARF Morning Coffee. “The ARF Listening Playbook” draws upon Steve's decades of experience in media content analysis, which began as an undergraduate and continued on through his graduate studies at Annenberg (U Penn), where he trained under - and contributed to the research of - the leading content analysis professors of the day. Steve's business-oriented listening career started in the 1980s as Research Director for The Center for Public Communication, where he lead development of MIDAS (Media Issue Detection and Analysis System), a pioneering solution primarily for reputation management, marketing strategy and corporate positioning whose services were marketed through public relations firms. With Softlogic Solutions earlier in this decade, Steve organized and built an unstructured data management practice, which designed and executed projects in the financial services, media, and pharmaceutical industries, and which relied heavily on evaluating and using text analysis software. Steve is the lead author of the best-selling "The Online Advertising Playbook" (Wiley, 2007).

Frank Cotignola – Consumer Insights Manager, CIS Center of Excellence, Knowledge Management at Kraft Foods
As part of Kraft Foods’s CIS (Consumer Insight and Strategy Group), Frank leads the group’s Knowledge Management and social media listening/consulting efforts. Frank helped develop the Community Intelligence Portal, which is the largest site of its type at Kraft Foods. He also authors “Randomness,” which is the top blog at the company. His efforts to develop both free and paid (with NetBase, Radian6, and MotiveQuest) listening platforms and insights have led to the integration and usage of such research into traditional “asking” research and shopper insights. Frank has 19+ years of analytic research experience across a number of well-known suppliers and manufacturers.

Jason Harty – Brand Manager, vitaminwater®
As a brand manager for vitaminwater®, Jason oversees the brand’s innovation and interactive marketing efforts. At vitaminwater, Jason guides the development of products from concept to launch and has been a pioneer in brand interaction on Facebook, the iPhone and other platforms. Jason’s efforts in social media have helped grow the vitaminwater brand’s facebook fan base to over 1.1 million in less than a year, earning the brand a Top 10 spot on Big Money’s list of “brands that best engage fans on Facebook” (12/09). These efforts have also been recognized by Facebook, which acknowledged vitaminwater with a Blue Ribbon Award for the most innovative campaign and engaging pages. Over 10+ years he's managed interactive, mobile and field marketing campaigns for client accounts and held marketing agency positions representing F100 clients such as Verizon Wireless, Subway Restaurants and NBC Universal.

Jeff Rosenblum, Founding Partner, Questus
Jeff Rosenblum is widely regarded as one of the leading pioneers in the field of Internet research. He was one of the first researchers in the country to conduct interface usability tests and online quantitative surveys as he led strategic engagements for some of the most influential companies trailblazing the web, including Microsoft, Netscape, Sega, Walt Disney and Discovery Channel. Jeff currently focuses on the development of proprietary tools and processes for breaking down the boundaries that historically exist between research, strategy and creative. This multi-disciplinary philosophy is helping the Questus team produce industry-changing results for leading brands such as Capital One, Verizon, The NFL, and Suzuki Cycles.

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Upcoming Speak Dates: AM 5.0, Dpac, Kidult, BlogHer Biz

Here are a few conferences that I'll be participating in so far this summer. In the fall, I'll be speaking with John Havens on Augmented Reality at Web 2.0 Expo in New York and at BrandCamp University in Detroit (more info to follow on these events soon.) For now this is the summer schedule, and it's interesting how much the topics dovetail one another.

August 5, 2010
"Measuring and Monitoring: The Case for Social Media Marketing" Panelist
BlogHer Business '10 | New York, NY

June 26, 2010
"Building Your Personal Brand" Panelist
Kidult Leadership Conference | New York, NY

June 24, 2010
"The Big Shift: Buying Content vs Audience for Advertisers" Moderator
DPAC: The Digital Publishing & Advertising Conference | New York, NY

June 22, 2010
"Social Media’s Open Graph" Panelist
Audience Measurement 5.0 | New York, NY

June 21, 2010
"Social Media Bootcamp: Social Media For Research and Marketing" Workshop Organizer and Presenter
ARF University | New York, NY

Follow Me on Twitter @lynneluvah

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