Dick Costolo on How Twitter Redefines the Role of News Media

In an interview with WNYC’s Jeremy Hobson, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo elaborates on the heightened role that Twitter now plays in society—particularly relevant given the explosion of tweets surrounding the presidential and vice-presidential debates. “We used to have a filtered, one-way view of events in the world from the media,” says Costolo. “America’s perspective of it, or the world’s perspective of that event, would be seen through the lens of the way that the media described it to them.” Twitter, by contrast, allows people to get—and give—an “inside-out, multi-perspective view of what’s going on right now,” Costolo asserts. But he’s careful to note that Twitter doesn’t supplant mainstream media—it plays a complementary role, often bolstering viewership of televised events. Twitter-style candor seems to be trickling up, as media outlets tap into, and influence, what’s trending in the Twittersphere. Increasingly the filters—and for many commentators, the gloves—are off.