For years, Twitter was hailed as a cure-all for the ills of 21st-century life. It eliminates gatekeepers, they said. Now everyone has a platform! Writers can easily connect with their readers! Journalists can discover and report on stories as they break! Politicians will be more accessible than ever! Proponents lauded the platform as a modern-dayContinue reading “Twitter and the Public Square”
Category Archives: Social Media
The Best of Unfriends
I unfriended you today. The reasons were complicated. We all carry reminders of the past. Childhood drawings, sports trophies, ticket stubs and faded t-shirts. We hold on to so much that is unnecessary. Now, we hold on to Facebook friends, too. Today, I went through all 541 people on my Facebook friends list and startedContinue reading “The Best of Unfriends”
A Day Without an iPhone
When I first realized that I’d left my phone at home, I panicked. I was cut-off from the world; isolated from my social network, friends and loved ones. For several hours, I would be unreachable by phone call or text message. I started to feel anxious, but within a few minutes, the rational side ofContinue reading “A Day Without an iPhone”
An Experiment in Form
When James Joyce wrote his groundbreaking novel, Ulysses, he changed novels forever. His style was wildly experimental and his themes controversial. He threw out beginning, middle and end; he replaced scenes and chapters with a stream of consciousness. Ulysses was bold. It was different. And it set the writers of the 20th century free toContinue reading “An Experiment in Form”
How Social Media Changes the Way We Write
Social media has changed the world. In a few short years, it transformed from a novelty for angsty teens into a force that literally topples governments. It changes the way we maintain friendships, the way we look for love, even the way we eat. Now, it is about to change the way writers craft theirContinue reading “How Social Media Changes the Way We Write”
J.W. Eberle 