It was quite difficult to determine which Twitter chat I would analyze, simply because there are so many fascinating topics being explored through this social media engine. I finally narrowed my choices down and decided to complete an analysis of users incorporating the hashtag, #BeautifulPlaces, within their tweets. I chose #BeautifulPlaces as my focus for the Twitter analysis assignment because I am greatly interested in traveling the world. I thought a travel hashtag would be too vague. I wanted something more in depth and specific, and I found just what I was looking for... and more.
To begin with, I noticed that the use of the hashtag, #BeautifulPlaces, within tweets was not aimed towards discussion. Therefore, I concluded that this hashtag was not necessarily a chat, but rather a thread of tweets all bound to one common interest, that interest being gorgeous locations around the world. Despite this, I think it is important to note that the hashtag still created an environment in which Twitter users could share their personal thoughts and experiences about the topic. Although most users were not actively participating in discussion by tweeting one another about beautiful places in the world, all users ultimately shared their views on beautiful places through the hashtag. In this case, and in most cases with hashtags, communication between users is not necessary because the hashtag serves as the engagement source.
The motivation behind this stream/thread was above all, to inform Twitter users of the absolutely breathtaking locations our world has to offer. This hashtag accomplished this by individual users displaying a gallery of captivating regions around the world through tweeted pictures, as well as posting links to inform users of certain sites. Whether this hashtag was aimed towards users with great wanderlust, users who are travel monkeys, or users who simply find peace and inspiration within the captured photos of these places, it provided a space on the site specifically for those fascinated by this particular topic. When searching this hashtag, one will find an assortment of tweets, about half being pictures of various sites, a quarter being informative links that discuss certain locations, and a quarter being personal experience tweets in which users share their immediate involvement with travel in a particular location. For example, in the column I posted below, the first two tweets display photos of locations and the third tweet shares a link to the user's personal blog post that discusses her experiences as a photographer in beautiful places.
From my observation, not every person has the same opinion concerning #BeautifulPlaces. More specifically, not every person views all places equally. Some might find certain locations more appealing than others. The purpose for this thread is not to share the same opinion on particular sites in the world, but rather to share a virtual exploration with others that might also be interested. This chain of tweets linked with #BeautifulPlaces allows users in the Twitter world to immerse themselves within the idea of travel.
Shea,
ReplyDeleteGood analysis. It was smart to hone in on the asynchronous nature of the hashtag. You explored the concepts of the community and the learning and sharing that occurred.