What is going On?

What is going On?

This is my first rant, or blog, in a while. I will try to keep it all focused on the idea of social media failures or at least things that do not quite connect between people and experiences. I am part of the social media generation and we use it to convey everything; statuses, pictures, ideas, and the like. But it is not only for the youth, it is for everyone. We, in no way, use social media for the same purpose. Jobs creep on and into our lives, thinking that people in real life are exactly who they are and what they do on the web, Facebook, and Twitter. Our parents and family use it as a way to keep connected as we move to different parts of the world. But they find out much more than what they sought after. Organizations use it as a way to promote ideas, to support other companies, and to foster growth in their sector. We, the youth, use it as everything; it is a whole other life.

Agriculture Communication had me follow a handful of blogs and a variety of Twitter handles to expose me to farm news. But these people do not communicate the same way we do. Twitter is supposed to entice some emotion not lay out dry facts. Blogs are to give opinions on issues. Twitter is a great marketing tool, with hash-tags, and an innovative communication vehicle. @Medflygenes does what Twitter was meant for; connecting people by tagging them and associating them with an issue or problem. Four other accounts I followed accomplish no more than half of this format; @Agchat, @USDA, @Andyvance, @MarkettoMarket. I can only imagine the person sitting behind those Twitter handles, they are not of my generation, they do not speak like my generation, they do not connect with my generation. @Agchat and @Andyvance tweet like there is no tomorrow; they are blowing up my feed as I am writing this. Maybe it is just that I do not care what they are saying, but when you tweet more than five (5) times in a hour, for multiple hours, just go make a blog. @Agchat also does not even follow the guidelines of Twitter, 140 characters, they will send out four (4) Tweets in a row to say one point. That is NOT how Twitter works; I reiterate make a freaking blog.  It is, however super interesting how many favorites, re-tweets, and comments those posts get. I like to think, that the people doing those things also do not really know how to use Twitter, they are just using it as a way to get information. Twitter is pretty biased though, not the best source.

I grew up in big cities, Ottawa and St. Paul, not agricultural communities, I do not share the same connection with the land as farmers do. So I do not appreciate that "farmers must register their exotic animals by November 6," I do not really care. But if I had an emu, I would definitely love the reminder. The agricultural industry is a whole other world, they need a way to connect and share to promote growth and success for the entire industry. @USDA links farmers to sources for regulation, policies, and other information that is essential for the agriculture industry.  Communication is key to all productive life, but the method of delivery changes for each. Twitter keeps us informed of people's immediate reactions and thoughts. I just do not feel older generations use social media the way it should; to connect and discuss, not just present facts.

HMU @noonsauce

Best,
Matt Noonan