Here's another educational use for Twitter:
The Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) shows are widly popular here in the U.S.
While I am not a particular fan of this genre, I know many people who are. I wonder how people who watch this show might react to this scene. Does it make Twitter more appealing? Will some see it as a "stalker's paradise?" Will it help investigators solve certain crimes?
I like how one of the investigators notes that by keeping a blog and tweeting, the victim in the show must not "value privacy." His partner then replies, "They don't expect privacy. They value open-ness." This brief exchange quickly exposes two sides to the debate that has existed for years regarding Internet accessibility and the choices we make regarding how we represent our selves, and our identities, online.
I wonder how your average CSI fan interpretted this scene? Were they compelled to get a Twitter account? Or were their suspicions confirmed: the Internet is a dangerous place? While I oversimply this wonderfully poignant issue, I am reminded of the first investigator's comment after his partner shares the notion of valuing openness: "whatever." Oh dear....
Comments
Oy! For those of us outside of the US, that episode hasn't been aired yet! Kiljoy.
I confess, I am a fan of CSI. The trick is to follow the story without taking the characters as seriously as they take themselves. Oh, and you gotta watch for the team leader's cliche just before the opening credtis every week. My kids and I have frequently been in stitches over what we call Horatio Caine's sunglasses-of-justice
I don't think the producers are aiming for hilarity when there's a grisly corpse on-screen, but sometimes...