Clay Shirky's TED Talk is a great examination of the impact of social technology on how we receive instantaneous updates about world news and events. The assignment for this post is to "Write an 'imagine' essay explaining how [a historical] event would be different if the media implications provided in Clay Shirky's talk had been available at that time." The first question that popped into my mind was "What if the Founding Fathers were on Twitter?" Imagine this:
The year is 1787. In the young
Twitter:
o TheHamMan- At a meeting in
o JMonroe- @TheHamMan I second that sentiment. Some reforms of what we've got sound like a good idea.
o TheHamMan- States, send your delegates to Philly in early May and we'll get this party started.
o JMonroe- @TheHamMan Don't know if I can make it.
o JMUSA- @TheHamMan @JMonroe I'll be there with the Virgina delegates. Looking forward to meeting up in
This was the precursor to the Convention which was set to begin on May 4, 1787 in
Twitter:
o JMUSA- Just got to
o JMUSA- Been here a few days, waiting for more delegates. Started compiling ideas...I think we need more than amendments to solve our problems.
o (Late State Delegates)- Travel is slow, hoping to get to
o TheHamMan- We finally have enough states represented to begin, the rest should arrive soon. We have chosen George Washington to lead the Convention.
o RhodeIsland- We're not coming.
o GDub- @TheHamMan I am honored with the task of presiding over the Convention in
It was a long, hot summer in
Twitter:
o RYates- Not a fan of extended power of central government.
o delegate- Anyone notice how everyone here is an educated white man?
o another delegate- @delegate So what?
o yet another delegate- @another delegate @delegate It's going to be fun when someone brings slavery into this discussion.
o JAdams1- Bicameralism- check. Separation of powers- check. Sweet.
o delegate- It's bloody hot in here.
o GDub- Controversial issues on the table: suffrage, slavery, representation of states.
o JMUSA- Constitution of the
Now, I realize these tweets are superficial, at best, but just think for a minute what it would be like if the Founding Fathers were on Twitter throughout the Convention. . . They would not only be conversing with one another, but informing the public about their decisions and deliberations. They were discussing some of the most hotly controversial issues of the time, and bringing social networking into the equation surely would have had a significant impact.
Considering this scenario requires us to alter our vision of
In 1787, when our social networking technology did not exist, the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers could be equated to blogs, written by supporters and opponents of ratification. How would the intellectual discussion have been different if it took place online in blog posts, Twitter, and discussion forums?
Please indulge my creativity in giving some of the Founding Fathers Twitter usernames:
TheHamMan- Alexander Hamilton
TheRealMonroe- James Monroe
JMUSA- James Madison
GDub- George Washington
RYates- Robert Yates
JAdams1- John Adams
While writing this post I referred to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Convention
Jones, Wood, Borstelmann, May, and Ruiz. Created Equal, Volume 1 to 1877, A History of the
Interesting blog I found after writing this post: http://www.scottgraves.com/archives/737
This was really cute Angie. Definitely got a kick out of the use of Twitter names. To answer your question, I agree with a lot that you've said. For the most part, I believe the public would have been more involved in the process of writing the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers because they would have been more informed on the entire situation. It wouldn't have just been, okay this what your representatives decided. I believe it would have allowed more more input from the public. It would also have allowed us, as historians, more insight on what was going on during that time. I think it would be wonderful to have had these technological resources so we could almost "time travel" and see exactly what our founding fathers were doing at the time.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the creativity of your post! Loved the Twitter names. If the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers were written on blogs and discussion forums there would be clear supporters for each side to draw on. Regular citizens would be able to agree or disagree with a statement and explain why almost instantly. They would not have to wait for the papers to be published on paper in order to read and respond. The rate of response from Anti-Feds to Feds and vis versa would also be quicker.
ReplyDeleteQuick Note: while your twitter messages from the delegates were superficial, Tweets usually are. There isn't too much room for depth and insight in 140 characters. :)