Ah, the things we’re doing at this very moment. Some of us are in the office, others are at home with the kids. Some of us are traveling on a bus or a plane, and others are reading in a cafe. Our actions become symmetric as we balance each another out, flowing seamlessly through our day-to-day actions in a steady stream of life.

As for me? I’m perched at my kitchen table on a late Sunday morning. NPR news is streaming to the stereo. The window is open and tentative sounds of spring drift in. I’m eating half a grapefruit and debating on pouring myself another cup of french press as I occasionally gaze out the window, debating going to yoga at some point later in the day.

OR

“News. Coffee. Sunshine. Writing. Yoga soon. #SPRINGhasSPRUNG”

In certainly well over 140 characters you’ve gotten the gist that, well, I’m not doing much. And whether you take my general communicato with an extra shot of espresso or a whole lotta foam (likely the latter), we can acknowledge that Twitter grants us the ability to comment on our thoughts and actions freely and instinctively, as they occur.

That’s the thing about Twitter. It’s personal. It’s also fast, free, and it’s contents are agile. It’s built to spread easily and immediately. The info we post creates endless, free-flowing and simultaneous streams of consciousness.

As a participant, we share news items, comment with others during live events, and reflexively bitch about things like rush-hour traffic or a bad taco. As an observer, our streams are filled with the everyday actions and musings of folks handpicked from various social circles.

These tweets can be entertaining, self-affirming, and  informative. They can be leveraged for all kinds of empowerment.

In all the random stuff we post, we occasionally discover important bits relevant directly to another person’s life. The more proportional these tweets are to the folks who read them, the more popular they become. And when this happens, the stakes raise a bit. Quite a bit.

On this late Sunday morning, If the earth began to tremble and the walls started shaking around me, I could potentially (if I weren’t too terrified) post news of an earthquake as it occurred. In doing so, I’d beat out every major news outlet in the world. Think about it: you and I have this magical ability to spread a message to everyone instantaneously. We can contact those in our circle – and beyond – with a single, solitary blast.

The perceived exercise in solipsism Twitter grants us is obvious and simply too easy to succumb to. And while it’s fun to participate, we need to consider the social responsibility that comes alongside these social tools.

We can now initiate conversation about the issues that affect us. The proverbial funnel has been flipped and we can choose to snowball or use it individually to send a single message. It’s a powerful voice to have.

In the case of some residents of the cities affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it’s a voice to let friends and family know that you’re ok.

The relevancy of a tweet is directly proportionate to it’s value. If interesting and informative enough, a tweet can be re-tweeted and mentioned, favorited and commented on. This creates a new kind of popularity – one that’s based on news, notes and information alongside random commentary and self-reflection.

And when we discover larger patterns and streams of information related to communities, government, and issues happening around the world, we collectively pave the way for real impact. it’s important to note that while we can’t create the events or revolutionize the outcome, we can choose where to place the focus.

This is already happening worldwide.

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In the summer of 2009, front pages of Iranian newspapers contained blank space where censors had whited-out news stories about the recent presidential election. Meanwhile, the Twitterverse was exploding as it delivered information from the streets in real time.

Officials from the U.S. State Department reached out to Twitter asking them to delay a scheduled network upgrade. Why? To protect the interests of Iranians using Twitter in protest of the election. In response, Twitter moved the upgrade.

In Egypt, protesters flooded Tahrir Square in the country’s capital of Cairo, demanding the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. While most Internet access had been blocked, content continued to spread internationally as the world watched. Google staffers even launched a voice-to-Twitter service designed specifically to assist Egyptian citizen-journalists.

As events unfold in Libya, we have access to news items as they occur, and they’re coming from non-traditional news sources. NPR’s Community Manager Andy Carvin, whose tweetstream has become a major source of news on the Middle East, is an individual heavily influencing public awareness on a macro level.

And less than an hour after the Japan earthquake and tsunami, the number of tweets coming from Tokyo were topping 1,200 per minute according to Tweet-o-Meter. Twitter users shared the tsunami’s estimated times of arrival on U.S. shores before an official government tsunami warning was even issued. Among many sites, Google’s official Twitter feed posted a link to the Japanese version of its People Finder, for loved ones who have been separated.

Stateside, the Gulf Oil Spill is an excellent example of how the public can act as watchdog in the face of  national disaster. The BP Oil Company significantly “underestimated” the number of barrels leaking into the ocean, and proceeded to take missteps in re-inventing their image almost immediately – while forsaking any real kind of accountability.

@BPGlobalPR took a subversive approach in detailing BP’s lack of duty in the aftermath of the devastating spill.

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For the first time ever, our generation can send unfiltered messages to the rest of the world with lightning speed and absolute freedom. We’re communicators, we’re influencers, and we thrive on information and connectivity.

We don’t have time to read the papers every day. Most of us don’t. On social nets we can immediately see what’s important and happening now.

Twitter is defined as a “rich source of constantly updated information.” It’s still in it’s infancy as we figure out how to really use it.

It’ll take time for us to get organized, then curate and cultivate stories for higher discovery and relevance. The streams we see now are chaotic with unverifiable sources  (unless you’re @KanyeWest, of course).

Since the whole point of social networking is to mirror ourselves, we can’t turn the conversation away from what’s important in our worlds.

This vegan cupcake I’m now eating is amaaazing, and I’d have to fight quite hard to suppress the urge to tell everyone about it! It’s what we do, it’s how we vent, it’s how we show off and self-reflect.

Yet, the power of public conversation needs to be underscored. For the first time ever, we can virtually rally to raise flags, blow whistles, better our communities and create conversation about the things that move us. We have the ability to share information and initiate ripples to foster change, making the sharing of information more productive and powerful than ever.

Later on I went home to twitter the unfolding results for KCRW, the Santa Monica-based radio station where I work.  I felt particularly anxious – preferring to avoid the parties and mayhem on the streets of LA to enjoy and reflect upon on the outcome at home. But I didn’t feel alone, and I wasn’t.

I twittered as the results came in and people responded with comments like “Ooh. I like this show. One of my faves. Thanks.” and “Spanky, Spanky, Spanky, Ms Dole. Naughty campaign.”  Twitter allowed for real-time conversation fostered among strangers and among friends.  On Facebook, friends’ status messages lit up with their reactions and observations. My cell phone rang with calls from friends and family from Ohio and Los Angeles. It bleeped with incoming text messages from Paris, Boston, San Fran, and  Columbus, OH. I excitedly chatted with friends on IM.

CNN’s live video feed was broadcasting in one window and Twitter’s election page was running in another. The NYTimes election module, San Fran Chronicle, and Current TV’s election coverage were open in other tabs. NPR was blasting through the apartment (and a few of my neighbors). When the final results were announced, people were dancing, shouting and hollering with joy in the streets on the sleepy block in the beach town of Santa Monica where I live.

I think back to how this relates to the last election.  Sites like Twitter, FB, and Current TV were still babies – if they had even been born yet. The technology required to build nimble news modules was not nearly as evolved.

The ability to communicate with others with lightning speed and accuracy was nothing like it is now. The very way we communicate with one another has totally evolved. As Seth Godin recently said, “The transformation of communication is real, it’s permanent and it’s more powerful than most of us notice”.

The last administration was a secretive club that could easily manipulate voters perceptions.  We’re entering a new era where we’re constantly being informed and always plugged-in, whether we like it or not.

The internet has finally become a forum for public discourse. I can quickly and easily express who I am voting for and why. I’m not going to try to convince you to do anything – just give you reasons why I think the way I do. And because we think in a similar way, maybe you’ll be open to what I say compared to, oh I don’t know, Fox News. When election time rolls around, being from Ohio becomes especially important to me. I grew up knowing lots of people (including myself at one point) who can be easily swayed by what they hear in their sheltered communities at church or around the dinner table. It’s a self-perpetuating  mechanism with no incoming feed from the outside world.

Not anymore.

Not surprisingly I’m more productive sans TV. Although it was difficult at first to break the habit, not getting cable has proven to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I read books, magazines and blogs more often, listen to music, and spend more time getting organized and cleaning the apartment. I do feel unplugged from the outside world from time to time. So, how do I get my news and entertainment fix? Here’s how:

-news
I find radio and the internet to be even more timely and comprehensive than television was. NPR rocks.  News sites and blogs allow me to aggregate feeds in one place, so i can quickly scroll through the news in my own time by selecting headlines to explore that are of relevant interest. Podcasts are also great for catching news shows on demand.

-entertainment

What can I say? Netflix is the bomb. I love having movies on hand to pop in whenever the mood strikes. This way I’m forced to watch something more educational or culturally significant than, say, randomly tuning in to a reality show, a rom-com on TBS or the latest style show on Bravo (don’t get me wrong, I love me some Heidi and Tim!). Sites like Hulu, comedycentral.com and Fancast allow me to stream shorts and full shows when the mood strikes.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you get your entertainment outside of traditional cable. Post a comment below!