Last week's G-20 Summit influenced tweeters to produce a flurry of posts on the most current updates in Pittsburgh.
People used twitter to discuss and share thoughts on a wide variety of issues related to the G-20, including associated events, reactions to speakers, opinions on how preparations went, critique of the Summit, observations, traffic conditions as well as police activity and reports of abuse.
These posts, within the 140-character limit, told parts of the larger story of the G-20. Last Wednesday morning, on the eve of the Summit, Twitter updates were non-stop. One person wrote, "Saw my first sight of protesters today, and traffic was noticeably lighter. You can smell the 'essence of #g20 in the air...'" Another commented on police action, "About 25 cop cars just rolled slowly down Carson with their lights flashing. Guess we know who's boss," as well as "Choppers in Full Effect around the city of Pittsburgh for the G20!"
People also asked for advice on events to attend, and wrote, "looking for some good #g20 related events to go to this evening, any ideas?"
Twitter posts allowed the everyday person a formal voice and medium to share their thoughts, and reveal their biases as well. One person wrote, "Predictable human behavior: drums, dreadlocks, sandals and backpacks are staples of a #g20 protester." Expressing frustration, another wrote, "CCAC closed for G-20....this has to be the biggest waste of taxpayers dollars ever...3000 ft of fence/topped with razor wire...PGH WTHECK!"
And finally, encouraging a peaceful few days and positive thoughts about the city, one post read, "Let's saturate the city with kindness and show everyone the G-20 came to the right place!"
Shedding light on how people in the downtown community are interacting with and interested in the area as it changes, one post read, "the video camera is charging at my desk, for a lunchtime G-20 foray into the city. let me know if you're downtown and want to join."
Media sources, ranging from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center, developed sites devoted to the G-20 that featured Twitter feeds for people to follow.
The Post-Gazette's G-20 site included a "TwitterScan" tab for users to see what was going on in the city and how people were affected by it. The Post-Gazette leveraged Twitter for the informal, personal and real time reporting as an alternative to mainstream media coverage. Similarly, G-Infinity, hosted by the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center, had Twitter feeds available on its website to track posts, including ones that are tabbed to report police abuse, using #reportG20.
With the potential for protesters to use Twitter to communicate, it may have also been a tool law enforcement officials used to monitor the city and potential conflict. After all, during the G-20 Summit in London this past May, it was widely reported that police did follow Twitter to try and stay ahead of protesters and anticipate their next move.
With the ability to be viewed locally, nationally and internationally, Twitter posts have the potential to shape the way that the event is viewed from all around the world.
