Twitter Transformed #Ferguson
Sometimes things work.
Over the last 72 hours there has been a dramatic unfolding of events in Ferguson, Missouri that we’ve witnessed together.
And those of us on Twitter have in many ways experienced these events together.
What started as a shooting of a young man turned into an uproar
And an overly violent response from the police.
And then outrage. Twitter exploded in videos and photos highlighting inappropriate uses of force by the police.
Yet now, 24 hours later, it appears things have turned in an entirely different direction and the kind of peaceful protests that our nation has distinctively experienced for generations seem to be taking place.
How did this happen exactly?
I think that Twitter accelerated the process of feedback and improvement that naturally happens in a democratic society like ours.
Things happen. Sometimes really bad stuff.
And the media highlights those things.
We then discuss the things as a society, and hopefully if the collective is disappointed with the outcome, those in power will care enough and change things.
That is what freedom of speech and protests are all about.
So, what happened with #Ferguson was this process was accelerated.
It happened quickly — almost real-time — as we processed the experience together.
It’s pretty amazing that this was driven by natural forces of people expressing themselves with their smartphones and sharing with one another without relying on traditional media outlets.
But even more amazing is how quickly the system settled on a better outcome.
How a peaceful situation emerged.
How our better self as a country was expressed.
It gives me hope that what will happen as transparency-enhancing tools like Twitter and Vine and others continue to accelerate our ability to express ourselves and interact with one another that we’ll actually make the world better in the process.
By shining a light on the negative, we’ll recognize it. And eliminate it.
And maybe in this process, we’ll allow our better selves to shine through.
Individually and together.
In fact, I think this might even be inevitable. :-)