Mark S. Luckie, former Manager of Journalism and News for Twitter, launched ‘Today in Black Twitter. The new website was actually introduced months ago but has recently undergone a makeover. It is intended to document and catalog the daily conversations happening on the powerful Black Twitter platform. Already the site amassed thousands of followers and has been found the attention of Vox, Fader, TechCrunch and CNN Money.
According to the website’s about page ‘Today in #BlackTwitter’ is a daily digest and Twitter account that algorithmically highlight trending conversations among the network of users collectively known as “Black Twitter.”
Twitter has become a powerful communication tool for the African-American online community. Pew Research data indicates that 28 percent of African-Americans using the Internet are also on Twitter. Using Twitter black people have voiced issues and held conversations of concern to black people. Black Twitter has kept alive numerous issues that concern black people including the deaths of black people at the hands of white police officers. Hashtags like #policebrutality, #blacklivesmatter focus attention on these issues.
According to Luckie “A random person can have a worldwide hashtag trend. Black Twitter surfaces individuals who are sparking conversations. Each day, you’re going to get something different. That’s what keeps it interesting for me.”
‘Today in Black Twitter’ website will encompass the past 24 hours on Black Twitter including cultural topics, politics, entertainment, memes and viral comedy.
Each post will include full attribution of the tweet source and will be free of any editorial subjectivity. The most popular or impactful tweets will be displayed based on the number of re-tweets or, in the case of hashtags, the original author. Readers can join in the conversation by subscribing to the daily digest and following @todayinblk on Twitter.
Today in Black Twitter also works as a source for journalists looking for the latest conversations in the African-American community. Luckie has written about “How *not* to Report on Black Twitter” and believes that mainstream media fails when it comes to black issues.
More about Mark S. Luckie – Mark was formerly the Manager of Journalism and News at Twitter . He is the author the Digital Journalist’s Handbook, and his most recent novel Do U. Check Mark’s web presence at LinkedIn.com, Twitter and Tumblr.com.
