There is a lot of talk about how social media brings the world together. But there’s a lot of compelling evidence that it also reinforces our various silos.
One barometer of this: Watching that’s trending on Twitter. You can change the location of what you see trending (by city, country, or the whole world).
Right now, in the Untied States, for instance, you’d find these topics trending:
- #SignsYoSonIsGay
- #20factsaboutmysister
- #TEDxLincoln
- #askben
- #HowToTurnDownAUglyPerson
- The Happening
- Boy Scout
- Lakers
- Kendrick Lamar
But here is what the world is talking about:
- #CosasQueNoTienenQueExistir
- #20factsaboutmysister
- #10usersQueEuAmo
- #letroiedellamiacittà
- #PalabrasQueMatan
- Excited For Stelena’s Touch
- “Emmanuelle”
- Boy Scouts
- Nicki Minaj & Cassie
Three of the top four trending topics are non-English, reminding us that Twitter is truly global, and there’s a wide world out there using it that we, in the U.S., are completely missing.
But it’s not just a language issue. Third from bottom on that list is “Emmanuelle.” That’s referring to the death of actress Syliva Kristel, star of all sorts of adult-related fair such as Emmanuelle. And that’s leading to an outpouring of, well, awkward tweets from a lot of men whose fond memories of her involved lost of #NSFW activity in their youth.
In any case, I’m betting if you’re reading this post, you’re not seeing your Facebook feed or Twitter feed flooded with the same outpouring of tributes, not in the way we have typically come to expect with the death of big star. Outside the U.S., it’s probably a different story.
Clearly, Kristel’s star was brighter overseas. But it’s a also a reminder that there are huge social media conversations happening every day that the rest of us completely miss.
(image from the Associated Press)
