Writing on new media tool – Facebook

On both individual and public level, writing can be various actions on Facebook, such as updating your status, giving comments, writing a note, writing on someone’s wall, listing details on an event… and the list goes on. And I “write” most for inbox messages because of privacy issues.

For the individual level, what you write can be very personal and maybe in form of the language or codes that only you and your audience can understand. For example, one can write something according to context which you and your friends know. Or one can write in form of Cantonese syllables or in a third language, so that this can be a gate to bar immediate comprehension of the explicit meaning written. Another example I have encountered is that some people update their status with the codes of the Chinese input methods.

But sometimes what one writes can be very powerful and induces a series of events. For example, following the action of occupying Wall Street in USA, one may suggest doing the same in Central, when people find this meaningful, they will spread the news and subsequently an event will come out.

On the public level, writing on a fan page maybe fun, but sometimes it also reveals you to strangers. I have joined a page of the RTHK Radio2 programme and this page is quite interactive between the programme hosts and the audience. The administrator will post what the hosts have said on the fan page so that others can comment on that. Also, as the hosts are checking the page at the same time, they can have real time interaction with the audience by responding on a particular topic.

For example, one morning they discussed about the habit of singing during bath, when there was interesting comments they would read it out, share with others without computer access and comment on that. This kind of sharing can be fun because the participants share the common interest, but sometimes people may also mistakenly reveal their private matters on this public page. Every Friday this radio programme offers dedication of songs by listeners to their beloved friends. These listeners may leave the content about their friends’ private matter, such as wedding blessing or best wishes on an event on a public page, which one friend’s may be unwilling to share with others.

Though there may be intrusion of privacy, leaving a comment on fans page is an excellent way to collect public opinion. For example this month the programme's theme is the picking a character for the hosts to imitate on air, in recent weeks there has been many posts of suggestions and some fans posted the pictures of the animation characters on the page so that other fans can leave comments. This kind of writing on fans page can lessen the burden of receiving phone calls in the radio station and it allows a record of public opinion.