The Impact of Twitter on Society with Biz Stone

About This Episode

Explore social media’s impact on society, celebrity and science when Neil deGrasse Tyson chats with Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone. Biz tells Neil about Twitter’s beginnings, the exact moment he knew it was going to take off, why he never expected celebrities to tweet, and what his favorite Twitter account is. (FYI, it’s not @neiltyson or @billnye.) In studio, Neil is joined by Eugene Mirman, sociologist Dr. Alondra Nelson, and journalist Clive Thompson. You’ll learn how social media has changed the way we get news and interact with each other, from flocking and flash mobs, to changing the definition of friend, to allowing communication across traditional gaps in power and status. Compare Twitter’s impact on the Arab Spring to the role TV played in the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and learn why Biz downplays Twitter’s importance in the uprisings. Plus, find out what’s up with all the college dropouts who are Silicon Valley success stories like Biz, Steve, Bill, and Mark, and hear why Bill Nye “likes” the social media revolution.

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: The Impact of Twitter on Society with Biz Stone.