Since May, I have undoubtedly become a believer.  Who knew that being a Tweeter (or is it Twitterer…Twat?!?!?) could be so enlightening, so engaging and yes, all jokes aside, even a little inspiring too.  Now, I know that I have blogged before about the impact social media has had on Detroit, but it’s worth mentioning again.  More specifically, I am talking about what Twitter has done for local journalists in this city and how it has changed my entire outlook on the industry.

Now, I am not a journalist, I just like to pretend.  Yes, I’m working on becoming one, but until that happens just humor me for a few for minutes.  When I pictured myself becoming a journalist, I pictured myself being an anchor, sitting behind that big desk in a television studio somewhere reading the news every night to anxiously awaiting viewers.

But then the wave of reality hit me and I realized that being a journalist isn’t about that anymore.  No, that was what it was like in the “old media.”  Ladies and gentlemen, its 2010, welcome to the “new media.”  In the era of new media, we don’t seek out the news the news finds us.  The glass barrier between the people giving us the news and we the people taking in the news has been broken down. 

Channel 7, in particular, here in Detroit has done a truly remarkable job at ushering in this new era of journalism.  They’ve gotten several nods on various blogs and sites around the web and it’s well deserved.  Just recently, Detroit’s own Stephen Clark was featured in NY’s Daily News for his efforts involving Twitter and bringing Detroiters together.  His most recent effort has been dubbed the #backchannel and it essentially has served as an outlet for Detroiters to congregate together online and communicate with each other.  The online community has already migrated offline and into the streets of Detroit in the form of volunteerism and giving back to the city. 

Detroit’s brightest spot, even in the worst of times, has always been the incredible and enduring will and determination of the people that live there.   Twitter and social media is simply living proof of that will and determination.

It’s hard for me to picture life BT (before Twitter), and it’s hard for me to believe that no more than three months ago I thought Twitter was a joke only to be utilized by a growing community of narcissists.  I’m glad that I was wrong.