Kate Crawford interprets sound with an entire new perspective in her sound study titled, “Following You: Disciplines of Listening in Social Media.” In Crawford’s discussion of sound she focuses on the listening aspect, categorizing listeners into individuals, politicians, and corporations. Taking it even further, she clarifies the three different types of listening; reciprocal, background, and delegated listening. By specifically classifying these modes of listening, Crawford defines the most dominant aspect of social media as she considers the positives and negatives of communication advancements. On one hand, new social media platforms have completely changed how the public utilizes their voice. An online presence allows any person to have a “voice” and to “speak up,” which is what Crawford defines as participating online. However, the public may not be benefiting so positively from the ubiquitous voice found in social media, which may be inaccurate and misleading. Additionally, this concept of “background listening,” which Crawford defines as listening without actually absorbing information, results in the inability to differentiate between specific facts and their validation.
This concept of “voice” stems from democratic politics, where every individual is entitled to their interpretation of truth. Crawford talks specifically about the political voice in social media, using Barack Obama’s Twitter page as an example. Obama practiced delegated listening when running for office in 2008, only posting about campaigns and not responding to direct messages or comments. However, when we compare Obama’s use of Twitter the to current President Trump’s use of Twitter now we see tremendous differences; whereas Trump practices reciprocal listening by having a very dominating online presence. These differences are important to note since different politicians use their interpretation of an online “voice” in different ways.
For me, social media is a way to stay connected with the people I have created relationships with. A lot of the time I find myself being the “lurker,” which Crawford defines as someone who doesn’t actively utilize their online voice, but rather listens and encourages others to make online contributions. However, when it comes to my friends and family I am very active on social media and utilize my online voice tremendously. I suppose these differences in how people use their online voice is what makes social media such a diverse method of communication, especially today when the online presence is such an enormous aspect of society.
