A Quick Observation

Another one to categorize under 'digression.' 


I was flipping through some channels tonight and came across an advertisement for a new ABC show. The advertisement used a number of snippets from various media outlets that would offer TV reviews (e.g., People, EW.com, etc.), but it also had some comments from Twitter users (but they were presented the same way regardless of the source). I assumed that the Twitter users were associated with some better known critic site but then I visited @JJJbaybay's Twitter feed to find out that he is a regular student with no discernible credentials that would warrant interspersing his review among "legitimate" ones. I have nothing against Mr. Johnson, I'm simply searching for a reason for his inclusion in this television ad and neither his profile nor his 66 followers offer any explanation (also, he was one of three or four Twitter users, but his was the most memorable name of the bunch and they went by quickly). 


It is one thing to incorporate social media in areas that aren't traditional sites for social media (e.g., primetime news, newspaper journalism, politics, movie/tv reviews, etc.), but I think it is a bit weird that anyone with a Twitter account and a concurring opinion can me counted as equals among established entertainment outlets. Social media gives everyone with internet access a voice, and that kind of empowerment can be a really good thing - but should all those voices speak as loudly on all subjects?


The internet has already created a place where WebMD has become a legitimate substitute for a doctor and Wikipedia is the primary source of information; in other words, it has subverted traditional notions of authority. Obviously WebMD and Wikipedia offer more important information (and are therefore more strictly moderated) than a TV review snippet - but I'm still worried that at some point all that a person will need to be considered a legitimate authority in certain areas is an internet presence, and with more people signing up for social media sites everyday, that seems a scary prospect.