MLK and Twitter (via Vanity Fair)

In light of yesterday’s observance of the birth of MLK, wanted to share an interesting blog post in Vanity Fair that explores Twitter and the potential use cases by MLK and the civil rights movement.

“Instead of imagining Hypothetical King in 2010, I’m imagining a world in which today’s tools exist in King’s day. Specifically, I want to know what Dr. King would make of Twitter…”

Some interesting points (The more interesting points are raised at the bottom, if you want to skim):

“His popular legacy remains one of speeches, but he attended and organized meetings and direct-action campaigns… I imagine he would be frustrated by the passivity and false sense of action that Twitter can promote.

“More destructive than the mindlessness of some tweets, King would have problems with the way misinformation or incomplete information moves rapidly through the service and with how the movement’s message would be oversimplified or completely misinterpreted.”

Probably very true. Worth the read, if you have some time. Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.