Social media seems to be
taking over what we consider traditional media. Nowadays, less people are
receiving and reading traditional newspapers and, instead, are getting their
news straight from online sources such as Twitter and Facebook. According to a
2014 survey about the impact of social media on news, 78% of journalists use
social media on a daily basis, and 68% of
journalists believe that journalism can no longer operate without social media.
For example, most journalists are sharing their own articles on social media
platforms using their search name, in order to draw fans/followers to their
respective traditional news organization.
("2014 Study Impact of Social Media on News: More Crowd-checking, Less Fact-checking.")
Although traditional news media is
changing, that does not necessary mean that is dying. People would rather
receive their news in a cheaper and more convenient way by using social media
than to pay and wait for a newspaper subscription.
According to The Pew
Research Journalism Project, 78% of see news on Facebook even though they are
on it for other reasons. And roughly half of both twitter and Facebook
users get news on those sites. What is this doing to our traditional news
media? Is the decline in newspapers and print news media detrimental or beneficial
for journalists today? Although less people are being employed to work for
newspapers, journalism is booming other ways. According to the Bloomberg
Review, 5,000 more jobs have been added to the journalism profession due to the
rise in social media. Facebook is the largest social networking site among U.S.
adults, and half of those adults use Facebook to get their news. Although the
physical newspapers are declining, the same outlets are finding new ways to
survive in this crowded information market place. People are now able to share
news stories with their friends. This is making those who normally would not
read the news, want to read the news article if they see it trending on their
friend’s pages. This is actually expanding the amount of people engaging in
news because people want to be in the “know.” Not only does social media allow
you to read about a news topic, but it allows people to now engage. In the
past, people who read traditional newspapers and magazines would only be able
to read their news, now people can engage with others by sharing their opinions
and spreading the word faster.
According to David Holmes, sharing is
not necessarily the savior of spreading news. For example although it is fast
and easy to share a story with your friends on Facebook, there is no way of
proving that your friends are actually reading these articles. So why post an
article and share it if you don’t actually want to read it? This goes back to
the idea of us wanting to be in the know. We also are a little bit lazy and do
not have a large attention span. With
this said, we want quick and easy in all ways possible. We are the generation
that wants immediacy. Due to social media, we can get that. There is no need to
wait for a newspaper to come out or to wait for the 6:30 nightly newscast. We
want to know exactly when something is happening in the quickest and shortest
way possible. If that means checking our twitter feed for a trending hash tag
that describes a major news topic in 140 characters, then that is how we will
get our news.
( "Who Cares If Buzzfeed Has More Social Shares than the New York Times")
Major newspaper companies are now
turning to the Internet also and using social media platforms to get their news
to larger and younger audiences. Twitter news consumers are significantly
younger than those still receiving their news from Facebook, Google Plus and Linkedin (Pew Research Center). Other apps are being used to advance news and
journalism. For example certain news outlets are getting involved with other
apps besides their own such as twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Tumblr, Instagram,
vine and Youtube etc. All of these can be used on smart phones and tablets.
Visual media is the language of the Internet. People like seeing, watching,
listening and engaging opposed to simply reading. It allows people to multitask
while still getting their news.
For example Snapchat is an application that
originally was designed for people to message one another via photo. Due to its
unique features of having the photos “disappear” after a few seconds or 24
hours, it keeps everything current. Now, Snapchat is being used for more than
entertainment. It is now called "Snapchat Discover" where outlets such as CNN,
People, Food Network, ESPN and Yahoo News are providing daily video content
that can be viewed within sixty seconds. This feature has the benefits of quick
and easy access to headlines, but it also allows viewers to click related
links.
In conclusion, the strategies that
traditional news media are using in order to survive in such a crowded
information marketplace are through ways of social media. The old way of
getting news may be dying, but I do believe that news media will always find a
way to survive, because news is forever.
Works Cited
Holmes, David. "Who Cares If Buzzfeed Has More Social Shares than the New York Times"
Isaac, Mike. "Snapchat Plans to Offer Original Media Content." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Jan. 2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
Lee, Edmund, and Gerry Smith. "The Fading Newspaper - QuickTake." BloombergView.com. N.p., 3 Feb. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
O'Leary, Sean. "How Social Media Platforms Are Expanding the Reach of Newspapers." Newspaper Association of America (2014): n. pag. Web.
"2014 Study Impact of Social Media on News: More Crowd-checking, Less Fact-checking." ING.com. N.p., 19 June 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research
Center. 24 Oct. 2013.
Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Times?" PandoDaily. 19 Jan. 2015. Web.
I certainly agree with Nicole’s main point of view that news will survive in this ever-changing media marketplace. It is one of the fundamental pillars of our culture, and people will always want to know what’s going on in one area or another. Curiosity is human nature after all. I wanted to comment on that fact that social media in general will save these news corporations.
ReplyDeleteI have come to realize that every social media site has its own niche, even Facebook, although it tends to be the most general (and also the most popular). For example, Instagram obviously found its niche in photography/photographers, while Pinterest found its niche in shoppers and women. The point that I’m making is that not every social media site should be used for news. The Pew Research Journalism Project writes that, “Half of Facebook and Twitter users get news on those sites as do 62% of reddit users. But only a minority of those on Instagram or Pinterest finds news there.” This is because these sites are designed for news. Facebook and Twitter are used by Americans much more than Reddit though, which is why I will focus on these sites for now.
The same study suggest that most users of Facebook are accidentally exposed to news on the site. When they log on to Facebook, they are logging on for another purpose, but end up seeing news anyway. The Pew Research Journalism Project says that this happens with 78% of Facebook users, while only 22% use it specifically for news. Even so, the news is there, but what type of news is it? According to the same study, 73% of Facebook news consumers see entertainment news on the site. The next highest are community events/people of the community, sports, and politics. The lowest are international news, science and technology, and business. Science/tech and business are both niche types of news. Unless you are hearing a special segment, you wouldn’t see a story about these topics on your average news broadcast anyway. For these topics, there are specific television shows and newspaper sections, which I’m sure will always have some sort of audience (especially with business). It’s not surprising that entertainment and sports are in the top three, social media is still a younger market, and these two areas will always remain popular among youth (as well as adults and the older population).
Some might say that Twitter’s niche is in fact news. That’s what it tends to be used for at least. The idea of quick information at your fingertips makes every newsmongers mouth water. According to another study by Pew Research Center, 84% of U.S. adults still aren’t on Twitter, but of the 16% that are, 8% use it to consume news. The ratio is staggering. The other draw of Twitter for new is the live aspect. Generally, news corporations have two major priorities; authenticity and speed. Once a story is verified by trustworthy sources, speed becomes the most important factor. Twitter allows instantaneous access to your viewers.
In terms of other social media sites, Nicole mentioned Snapchat which has recently gotten into news. She is correct and I do think it’s a positive step for Snapchat in terms of growth and legitimacy. LinkedIn focuses on the job market, and your career life rather than news. Although it is a great site for articles and tips concerning specific careers. YouTube does provide video news, but you would most likely have to specifically search for it rather than stumble on it accidentally. Vine doesn’t provide news, its niche is humorous video shorts and advertising at times. I mentioned Instagram and Pinterest earlier. Tumblr is a blog site and could provide news, but it really depends on the blogger, and Myspace although barely alive, tends to focus on music nowadays. Overall, good job by Nicole, and I agree that news will survive on certain social media sites.
Works Cited:
Matsa, Katrina Eva and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways About Social Media and News." Pew Research Journalism Project. 26 March 2014. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Danielle Morin
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicole, social media does seem to be taking over what is known as traditional media. The outlets of journalism that were once “normal” to us are becoming less common. This means that journalism is not dying, just evolving. Nicole mentions the “convenience” factor of how consumers want to access their news when the time is right for them. She is dead on. According to the Pew Research Center, “While only 38% of heavy news followers who get news on Facebook say the site is an important way they get news, that figure rises to 47% among those who follow the news less often”(“The Roles of News on Facebook”). This means that users who do not normally follow the news closely can still keep up with the news and find the most important stories without looking at news sites if they are otherwise busy or do not normally have time to watch or read conventional news sources.
This applies to not only Facebook, but Twitter as well. Your experience on Twitter differs a bit as you receive more news depending on whom you follow and what is trending. If you follow multiple news sources like myself, it can be a main news source, and also serve as a minute-to-minute update on important breaking news. According to another Pew Research Center article, “A core function of twitter is passing along pieces of information as the story develops”(“Twitter News Consumers”). News seems to be more accessible if you follow multiple news sources on Twitter than if you see a “shared” article here or there on Facebook, as many use Facebook more generally. However Facebook is more popular than twitter, therefore making news on it important to inform those only using one platform.
Nicole was right when talking about how news has become something we can engage with others about. I’m sure most people can say they've seen controversial posts on Facebook expressing one side or another. This is important, as now we are no longer just reading the paper in the morning. We are reading the news whenever we want, and able to share our thoughts to multiple outlets. To me the accessibility and growing chatter about news stories solidifies that news is not dying, just advancing. This a main difference between news on Facebook vs. Twitter. On Twitter we only get 140 characters per tweet to express what we are thinking or share a link, while on Facebook you can express yourself in more depth. Many of my friends have expressed their opinions on Facebook, while they have only “favorited” the relevant article on twitter.
Danielle Morin Continued
ReplyDeleteBuzzfeed is also something I wanted to talk about briefly. It was mentioned in a few of this week’s articles, and its articles are often shared on Facebook and Twitter. Buzzfeed has become a huge source for not only news but also entertainment. The article “Who Cares if Buzzfeed has more social shares than the New York Times” states that comparing the two are like saying “Coke is beating UNICEF”(Holmes). The article goes on to discuss the difference in business models among other things but the most obvious to me is the type of news source it is. Different types of News Sources are also emerging. The New York Times is more informational direct news, with some entertainment, but certainly less than Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed seems more informal and covers news but also has many articles about silly things, or even quizzes to see what Disney Princess you are. This type of news is hard to compare to The New York Times because much of what they offer is so different.
In conclusion I definitely agree with Nicole that News Media is changing to keep up with the times. They have to share their articles on social media to bring more attention and views. This has to do with wanting the news at our own convenience. News media will never die, just the way we access it will change. And whether its through The New York Times, our Twitter feeds or through a friend sharing a controversial post on Facebook, it will always exist.
Works Cited
Holmes, David. "Who Cares If Buzzfeed Has More Social Shares than the New York Times?" PandoDaily. 19 Jan. 2015. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
It is no secret that traditional forms of news, such a newspapers and magazines, are slowly dying out. Like I mentioned last week, we live in a society where people have become very lazy. Everything has become about convenience; we want our news whenever we want it, wherever we want it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Nicole, that social media is a big reason why traditional news is slowly fading out. Over the years, Facebook and Twitter have become more apart of our everyday lives, and not only that, but also our smartphones. According to Amy Mitchell, Facebook users who get their news at the highest rates are 18-29 year olds, and according to the Pew Research Center, these 18-29 year olds are being exposed to the same level of news as older age groups. This just shows how social media is becoming a faster and more efficient way to get our daily news.
On another note, people are always on the go, and it seems like no one has time anymore to sit down and actually read the morning paper. Like Nicole mentioned, no one has the patience to wait until the paper comes out or to wait until the evening news to know what is happening. Although print newspapers may be fading, the major news companies, such as The New York Times, have apps that can send you push notifications with breaking news.
Also, people do not just want to read about the news, but at the same time, share their opinions on it. According to the Pew Research Center, “a core function of Twitter is passing along pieces of information as the story develops.” Although it may not be the main source of news for some people, consumers definitely seem to be turning to these social media platforms to express how they feel about what is going on in the world, and also to see what other people are saying about it.
I know for me, I get most of my information off of Twitter, and what I like the most about it, is seeing what other people have to say. It is also a good way to get exclusive information. For example, the Boston Marathon bombing. I first found out about the bombing from Twitter because of a trending hashtag, and because this was an unexpected thing and there were so many people there, people where tweeting and posting live about it with pictures and videos. It also events like this, or even other major events, that Twitter comes in handy because you can post as it goes on. This isn’t for just hardcore news, but also sporting events. Again, instead of waiting for the paper to catch up on the game that you missed, you can follow your favorite team on Twitter, or download the app to get the latest updates on the game.
Going back to the people of our generation being lazy and what Nicole said about people no longer having a long intention span, we like the fact that tweets are only 140 characters. It gets the point across more quickly, and if journalists want, they can attach a link to an article so people can read more about it.
Although the physical form of newspapers and magazines, may not be the first choice to most people nowadays, we are still finding other ways to consume our daily news, and to quote Nicole, “news media will always find a way to survive, because news is forever.”
Works Cited
Mitchell, Amy. “The State of the News Media 2014." Pew Research Journalism Project. 26 March 2014. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
The theme with all these new forms of media seems to be quick and convenient service among society. Last week we discussed the changes Netflix has brought to television media and this week is pretty similar with new media. Most of the people in our generation are probably getting their news information from Twitter, even though it might not be accurate. There are a lot of people on Twitter who just send out information just to be the first to get it out there, so news tends to travel extremely fast especially with Twitter. For example, the Boston Marathon bombing, the first information I remember reading said that multiple people had died, when in fact only 3 people died from the bombings. While the information wasn’t completely correct, it made me aware of the situation where I might not have since I don’t usually watch that much news on television.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Nicole that social media has sort of taken over journalism in a way, what use to be an article is now a blog post open to anyone that wants to read it. Journalists are always fighting to be the first one with the story out, and social media helps them to do so. A journalist can tweet the headline of an article immediately after it happened and then follow up with the facts soon after. It is almost as if no news can go unseen on social media because there is always going to be someone blogging, tweeting, etc. Twitter is also constantly updating with new tweets that people have sent out and there are always people tweeting about something. It is so much easier to just pull up twitter on your phone and find out what is happening rather than going and finding a television to click through the channels to find what is going on. In the article “Twitter News Consumers: Young, Mobile, and Educated” by Amy Mitchell, it mentions, “Mobile devices are a key point of access for these Twitter news consumers. The vast majority, 85%[of adult Twitter users], get news (of any kind) at least sometimes on mobile devices” (Mitchell pg. 1). The convenience of getting the news on our phone at any time could be what has forced news to move to social media.
Social media is definitely changing the way we hear about news and gain all the information there is to know about whatever is happening. Even if most people do not care about the trending topics in their newsfeed, most likely they see them and still read them just to keep up with everything. Mitchell also wrote in the article, “News Use Across Social Media Platforms,” that, “Social media news consumers still get news from a variety of other sources and, in some cases, even more so than the general public does. YouTube, LinkedIn and Google Plus news consumers are more likely than Facebook and Twitter news consumers to watch cable news (Mitchell pg.7). The news is being displayed on so many different platforms that it is hard not to know what is going on. However, I don’t think the fact that we can get news immediately to our phones just shows doesn’t mean that is going to be the only way we receive it in the future. There are still people that prefer to get their news the traditional way, either from the television or a newspaper.
Work Cited
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
It seems that traditional news media has been rapidly declining for many years now. For as long as I can remember, adults have said how younger generations do not enjoy traditional news as much as they do. The younger generations have always been more involved with online news rather than traditional news. For example, I never liked the idea of reading a newspaper as much as my parents did. For many adults, reading a newspaper is a daily hobby. I agree with Nicole on the fact that traditional news is dying. Among the older generation, newspapers are still very prevalent. Although, I believe that once that generation dies out so will the traditional news. I could not imagine seeing younger generations sitting down, reading a newspaper and sipping on coffee as many of our parents do daily.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Nicole when she mentioned how today, people rather receive their news in a cheaper more convenient way. Older generations still go out of their way to buy a newspaper whereas younger generations would not dare. Today, people would rather go on the Internet to various social media platforms to receive news instead. I mean, why would we go out and BUY news when we could receive it easily and for free on our smartphones?
Social Media plays a big role in how many people receive their news. According to Pew Research Center in the article News Use Across Social Media Platforms, Facebook is one of the most used social networking sites to get news. For no matter what reason someone is on Facebook, you are highly likely to see some type of news trending. It is basically unavoidable. Whether its small local news that a friend shares, or national news trending on the side bar, Facebook is constantly being filled with updates.
A significant trend for news and social media is users being able to get updates constantly. Twitter is huge in this category because users are constantly following news and uncovering things as they are released. According to Pew Research Center in the article Twitter News Consumers, “A core function of Twitter is passing along pieces of information as the story develops.” The developing of stories is important and users are regularly refreshing their Twitter feeds for new information. This idea of developing news would never be possible without the creation of social media. This is just something that newspapers could never do. Newspapers do not have the option to edit and update stories like social media can.
The decline in newspapers and print news media is not detrimental for journalists at all. I think the decline is beneficial and is opening up tons of opportunities. There are now so many different sources for individuals to receive news so journalists are now needed in all different departments. Journalists used to only have opportunities in traditional news but now they are needed for online and social media positions. For up and coming journalists, I find this to be very positive and motivating. For an industry that seemed so difficult to work for I find it exciting to see how much opportunity is available.
Works Cited
News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web
Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
I agree that the original form of finding out news is dying, but that this is not the end. News is so crucial in our society and we have just become much more reliant on finding out the information immediately, rather than in the newspaper the next day or on the nightly news. If people could know current events before they happened, they would. I believe that social media platforms have done a great justice to our news system and to our economy but at the same time it has definitely hurt us a bit. Sometimes the news stories are not one hundred percent accurate or they only provide a small piece of information which in turn can give the reader false accusations. According to News Use Across Social Media Platforms, “Roughly half of both Facebook and Twitter users get news on those sites” (Pew Research Center, 2). This is interesting because nearly 75 percent of US Americans are using either Twitter, Facebook or both. I think many researchers forget that people are not necessarily going to Facebook to look for news. I think that it just pops up on their timeline and they click the links to read the article. According to State of the News Media 2014, “Half of Facebook users get news there even though they did not go there looking for it.” (Mitchell). This proves that people aren’t going to Facebook for the news, but they are using it as a news source once they get there. I also thought it was interesting that you brought up the point about people sharing the news on their social media sites. People do just want to be in the know, and it is an interesting concept that they want to share with other people after they have already read it. This is a concept that I think depends person to person.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that companies are now using the app Snapchat as a new platform is definitely interesting. I think it’s new, and has some kinks to work out but I do think it is something that can eventually work. For example, I am on the Acrobatics and Tumbling team here at QU and many other A&T teams use snapchat as a source to let people know about our sport with some behind the scenes footage. It is something that has really hooked on with a lot of sports team and celebrities. It is an interesting concept, that I think Snapchat did not have in their original intentions. There are so many options for social media outlets to share news, all they need to do is think of the ideas. The idea that with Twitter you only have 160 characters to express your opinion or news story is an interesting concept. I also think this is why a lot of crossover news happens because with a tweet you can attach a link to a news site or to a Youtube video. It is actually very beneficial and cool to think that this is possible. Overall, I think there are many changes to come in the future and I do believe that we will eventually see an entire fadeout of printed newspapers, but for the time being I think these news companies, for the most part, are doing just fine with the transition.
Works Cited
Mitchell, Amy. “The State of the News Media 2014." Pew Research Journalism Project. 26 March 2014. Web.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
Caitlyn Maio
ReplyDeleteEven though traditional print news is declining in the media industry, I do agree that it is finding new ways to reach its audience. As our generation continues to grow and enter the workplace and as the baby boomers retire, traditional newspapers will eventually be gone and news will be presented through social media and online platforms. Both of my parents are baby boomers and read the newspaper every morning, but my brother and I barely look at a newspaper. I find my news online all of the time. I go on news sites, such as CNN, NBC News, or The New York Times to look up news stories. Sometimes Facebook will bring to my attention something that recently happened. “Facebook reaches far more Americans than any other social media site—and therefore allows for the most in-depth study” (Matsa and Mitchell 1). Whether it is friends or family sharing the story on Facebook or a news company posting up the story, it notifies me about something happening and grabs my attention to read more about it. “The range of news topics on Facebook is broad,” which I think not only grabs my attention but also everyone else’s (Matsa and Mitchell 2). This allows news organizations to reach multiple niche audiences, which also helps them grow as an organization. “Entertainment news tops the list of topics Facebook news consumers report seeing. This is followed by ‘people and events in my community,’ sports, national government and politics, crime, health and medicine, and local government and politics” (Matsa and Mitchell 2).
Furthermore, engagement is becoming a huge part of social media news as well. This is due to the new development of technological devices, such as the smart phone. Social network users are not just sharing news stories online with friends and family, but they are also contributing to the reporting by taking photos or videos of what happened (Matsa and Mitchell 2). People are sharing, reporting, and discussing news stories on social media, which is helping these news organizations reach audiences and readers more quickly and efficiently. As a member for Q30 Television, I as well as other members post up stories all of the time. Whether it is a photo, video, or news package, we are always trying to keep the Quinnipiac community updated. “Roughly one-in-ten social network users posted news videos they took themselves,” examples of this is shown in news events for the Boston bombing and the Ukrainian uprising (Mitchell 3).
Caitlyn Maio Continued
ReplyDeleteI do agree that major newspapers are turning to the Internet to reach a wide range of audiences, but it is presenting some challenges to these companies as well. One example of this is The New York Times. Innovation presents challenges for the newspaper company. “The qualities like editorial independence and a deliberative news-production process that contributed to the paper’s greatness may be holding it back from becoming a modern media organization” (Moses 1). Paywalls are also a challenge but present a positive aspect for The New York Times. Since the company introduced their paywall in 2011, “digital-only subscriptions have soared to 875,000” (Moses 1). The downside of this is that even though there was a growth, it leveled off only adding 1 percent to their circulation revenue.
Overall, I agree that news is changing the way it’s presented to the public. Social media platforms and technology have become the new and popular way for news organizations to reach niche audiences effectively. “In many ways, 2013 and early 2014 brought a level of energy to the news industry not seen for a long time” (Mitchell 1). Whether a social media user means to look up news stories or accidently comes across it on their social media accounts, they are becoming aware of what’s going on. Even though print is declining, “print isn’t dead” and there are still some millennials that read the Times, but I think eventually print news will stop and become all digital (Moses 1).
Works Cited
Matsa, Katerina Eva, and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News." Pew Research Center Journalism & Media. N.p., 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Mitchell, Amy. "State of the News Media 2014." Pew Research Center Journalism & Media. N.p., 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Moses, Lucia. "What We Learned about The New York Times This Year - Digiday." Digiday. N.p., 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSaleena Glowik
ReplyDeleteReading the newspaper was never really appealing to me. It’s not that I don’t find news to be fascinating or interesting; I think it is just the concept of reading and having to search through a newspaper (aka laziness, which is sad). I watch the news on television and I like to know what is going on in the world, but I find most of my news on Twitter.
According to the “8 Key Takeaways About Social Media and News” from the Pew Research Journalism Project, out of 51% of U.S. adults, 10% of them use Twitter to get their news, which surprised me (Matsa & Mitchell, 2015). I may be biased here considering I am one who gets most if not all of their news from Twitter, but I expected the percent of adults who use Twitter to get their news to be higher. I follow accounts such as CNN, NBC, The Boston Globe, BBC, and a few more in order to know what is happening in the world. The reason why I prefer Twitter over reading the newspaper or a magazine is because it is faster and more efficient. Once something breaking occurs in the world, News accounts on Twitter blow up, explaining what happened with 140 characters and/or with a link to the most updated article. If something happens that either interests me or pertains to me I can easily access the story and if I don’t really want to read the article, I will still have an idea of what happened without clicking a link. Twitter has made it more accessible, especially for breaking news. I’m not always going to be home in front of the television when something breaks out on the news. In an article titled State of the News Media 2014, it states that, “news is a part of the explosion of social media and mobile devices, and in a way that could offer opportunity to reach more people with news than ever before” (Mitchell, 2014). It’s true. Social media has been amazing us with the changes and improvements in order to capture a wide range of consumers.
Twitter has come a long way. Twitter was originally used to interact with friends, and to connect with celebrities and other figures, which in my opinion didn’t make Twitter so important. I do interact with friends on Twitter, but I feel like Twitter’s reputation has gotten a boost now that news stations and other networks have their own accounts. It’s not just used to be social; it’s used to get the news.
According to Pew Research Center in the article “News Use Across Social Media Platforms”, about half of the Facebook users get their news from Facebook accidentely (2013). These people aren’t looking to find news, it just so happens they may find an article on Facebook or news that pops up on the now trending panel. I don’t think Facebook was made or will be made to retrieve news. I just feel as though Twitter serves more of a purpose to access news since so many different news stations and newspapers have their own accounts on Twitter, constantly updating everyone about what is going on.
I think the same goes for Snapchat in terms of Snapchat improving their reputation. Snapchat started off as a photo sharing app, where of course explicit photos may or may not be exchanged. Snapchat has decided to improve their app by adding "Snapchat Discover" where people can view video content relating to networks such as CNN. I think it’s a great idea.
News will never die out of course. I just think the ways we access news will always be changing. Yes I think the newspaper will eventually die out but not anytime soon. I think books would need to die out first before news ever did.
References
Mitchell, A. (2014, March 25). State of the News Media 2014. Pew Research Journalism Project. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
Matsa, K., & Mitchell, A. (2014, March 25). 8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News. Pew Research Journalism Project. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
News Use Across Social Media Platforms. (2013, November 14). Pew Research Center. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMegan Maher
ReplyDeleteSocial media has definitely changed the way the news works. I agree with Nicole in that news media will never really die because whether people watch news clips online or on a television, they’re still getting the news. But in this day and age it can be hard to grab our attention, which is why it’s getting harder to distinguish one news network from another. Apparently, “Interviews with talking heads are cheaper to produce than sending reporters out to war zones or disaster areas. They also tend to attract more partisan figures, who are often eager to put a Democratic or Republican spin on the day's events.” (Lang 2013)
So in a way, I think that this means politics, especially debates on live television keep people using that form of media. At the same time, our incessant need to post every thought onto social media is no different for people who watch the news. Even though there are differences between how the conservatives and the liberals use Facebook, they still go online to continue to search and talk about news and politics (Mitchell et alt. 2014).
Social media and the news isn’t just for politics, according to the Pew Research Center, about 47% of adults get their news in general from Facebook (2013). Twitter and Reddit also have a following as a news source each with over half the users using the site for news (Mitchell et alt. 2013). The reason being that over half of social media users in general are sharing and reposting news stories interesting to them, thereby creating more consumers in the process (Mitchell 2014).
Social media is already a fast paced environment with users scrolling past tweets or posts at an almost inhuman speed. That’s why if people (other than the politicos) prefer to get their news in short posts that can be read and internalized quickly. Although this may seem to make news more easily and readily available, there can be problems with it too.
From personal experience from being on the Chronicle, being the first to break news is key but speed can also come with inaccuracy. In the news, being accurate is paramount because an inaccuracy could make or break a story, or even a career. Brian Williams is one example of how accuracy is integral to a journalist’s story and career (Dickson 2015).
At the same time, there is a good side to the fast-paced world of social media. With newer technology and higher demands from the consumers, the job market for digital and social media has skyrocketed (Mitchell 2014). According to Amy Mitchell who works for Pew Research Journalism Project, “Our first-ever accounting found roughly 5,000 full-time professional jobs at nearly 500 digital news outlets, most of which were created in the past half dozen years.” (2014)
Mitchell also says that social media reaches more people than ever before, so that means news can reach a lot more people than ever thought possible (2014). Although this may seem like a sign that other news sources are dying, it turns out they are just changing with the times. News sources now have apps, websites, and digital archives among other things to continue to grab consumers. They tweet and post just as much as the average user and continue to have viewers and readers through their original format.
Works Cited
Dickson, C. (2015, February 7). Brian Williams is Not Alone: Hillary Clinton, Stephen Glass and Other Famous Fabrications. Yahoo News. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Lang, B. (2013, March 18). CNN Becoming Like Fox News, MSNBC, Pew Study Finds.The Wrap. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Mitchell, A. (2014). State of the News Media. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Mitchell, A., & Page, D. (2013). The Role of News on Facebook: Common yet Incidental. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Mitchell, A., Holcomb, J., & Page, D. (2013). News use Across Social Media Platforms. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Mitchell, A., Gottfried, J., Kiley, J., & Masta, K. (2014). Political Polarization & Media Habits. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
The old way of getting news is slowly dying and I do not believe that news media will always find a way to survive because technology is beginning to take over the way we gather our information as consumers. As stated in the blog post, “Nowadays, less people are receiving and reading traditional newspapers and, instead, are getting their news straight from online sources such as Twitter and Facebook.” People want instant gratification which is they get their news information via a phone, ipad, or tablet, instead of reading a news paper or waiting for the news on television. “Due to social media, we can get that. There is no need to wait for a newspaper to come out or to wait for the 6:30 nightly newscast. We want to know exactly when something is happening in the quickest and shortest way possible. If that means checking our twitter feed for a trending hash tag that describes a major news topic in 140 characters, then that is how we will get our news.” Different applications like Facebook and twitter have the ability to deliver the same content in a fast and shorter manner. The New York Times, Times Magazine, and many other news-based content are even beginning to go down the route of digital media. They themselves are slowly killing and changing their own company and industry to progress with the times and be more digital and rapid regarding getting news content to their audience. News anchors across the country as well as news stations use twitter to deliver the news before even going live on air. Twitter, Facebook, and other applications and social media outlets are even beginning to outdate television and news shows.
ReplyDeleteEven the generations of the baby boomers are beginning to use social media more to retain news and information. “Roughly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults use the site, and half of those users get news there—amounting to 30% of the general population. YouTube has the next greatest reach in terms of general usage, at 51% of U.S. adults. Thus, even though only a fifth of its users get news there, that amounts to 10% of the adult population, which puts it on par with Twitter. Twitter reaches just 16% of U.S. adults, but half (8% of U.S. adults) use it for news. reddit is a news destination for nearly two-thirds of its users (62%). But since just 3% of the U.S. population uses reddit, that translates to 2% of the population that gets news there.” I disagree with Nicole’s point in that newspapers and traditional way of receiving news will last forever. With the Internet the way it is, and technology booming with new generative applications in the world of social media every couple of years, it will continue to make newspapers and the “old fashion” way of receiving news become obsolete. According to the Pew research study, half of Facebook and Twitter users get news on those sites, as do 62% of reddit users. But only a minority of those on Instagram or Pinterest finds news there. At this point, Facebook reaches far more Americans than any other social media site – and therefore allows for the most in-depth study. Overall, three in ten adults get at least some news while on Facebook.” It is evident that social media has already began to dominate the way that we receive our news, and it will only become more aggressive as our world continues to technologically advance.
Work Cited
Eva Matsa, By Katerina, and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News." 8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News. Pew Research Journalism Project, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. .
Mitchell, Amy, Jesse Holcomb, and Dana Page. "New Use Across Social Media Platforms." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. .
I full agree with Nicole’s agreement about social media changing the way people receive news. In this fast past environment we are living in, people want fast and easy. We do not have the time to sit down in the morning to read our daily news. We barely have the time for coffee. The pros and cons of this new life style is a different argument for a different time but what are the demographics of the people receiving news from social media? According to the Pew Research Center, 24 percent of U.S. adults use Twitter. Of that 24 percent, 8 percent of the adults use Twitter to consume news. In another report done by the Pew Research Center on the role that Facebook plays on the consumption of news, 64 percent of adults in the United States use Facebook. Of that 64 percent, 30 percent of the adults use Facebook as a source of news.
ReplyDeleteMore interestingly though, the Pew Research Center also states that Twitter news consumers tend to be more educated than the general public and people who use Facebook to get their news. Twitter news consumers are also younger than Facebook news consumers. In my opinion because of the format of Twitter it encourages users to share their opinion rather than simply sharing an article. Twitter users are more active than Facebook users because of the limited amount of characters you can use per Tweet, allowing comments to be short and to the point. On Facebook, users write long essay statues that do not attract other people’s attention where as on Twitter the statues are a sentence or two long.
Nicole also touches upon this point where people do not have the attention span like they use to. Because of technology and multiple competing mediums of social media it is hard for people to focus on one thing for more than two minutes. Tradition newspaper outlets do not attract the attention of people in my generation but lists and one-sentence headlines do. Buzz-feeds catches our attention and articles like 8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News by Katerina Eva Matsa and Amy Mitchell will reach more readers from my generation than the New Yorks Times. But is that a good thing? In the article by Matsa and Mitchell I can easily get the gist of the article and read the main idea within in a few minutes as oppose to reading a New York Times article where it would take me maybe 5 minutes to go through the entire article. The article by Matsa and Mitchell tells me that different news is shared on different social platforms but on Facebook there is a wide range of news topics. Twitter encourages conversations about news, social media allows people to be more engaged with the news and bottom line news does have a place in social media. Among the 8 key takeaways, I’ve picked out a few that has grabbed my attention. But am I getting the full story of the effect of social media on news?
I think this will be a great question to discuss in class and to see what my classmates think about this. Other social media outlets like Snapchat are decreasing our attention spans. The longest video or picture a Snapchat can be is 10 seconds but can we truly understand the full story within 10 seconds?
Works Cited
Matsa, Katrina Eva and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways About Social Media and News." Pew Research Journalism Project. 26 March 2014. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
Based on the information presented in this week’s readings, it displays that more than ever before that more than ever before social media is playing a role in journalism. It is clear that social media sites are now a primary way for people to share news with others. Based on the numbers presented by the Pew Research Journalism Project, a staggering 50 percent of social media users have shared or reposted a news story or related picture or video. The Pew Center goes on to state that around 46 percent of social media users have used platforms to discuss a news issue or event.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that this does not necessarily reflect that journalism is growing but rather audiences are now using different using new devices to access news rather than traditional forms of media. Rather, the surge in journalism across social media platforms is a reflection that the journalism industry is using social media, with the help of its audience, to propagate stories and links back to the news organization’s website. As Nicole mentions in her blog, social media is not necessarily the savior of spreading news. I believe that while news organizations will have to grapple with the difficulty of whether their content is being read after it is being shared, I would argue that what is equally if not more troubling is the fact that shares on social media do not necessarily equal profit for journalists.
On social media I believe many users want to be able to freely read news and shared content without having to pay for it even if they are interested in the information. The problem with sharing is that it can propagate an article; however, the publisher may never see any profit for it. Traditional news organizations have struggled to adapt to this situation. Lucia Moses discusses in an article how the New York Times is struggling to survive in the new media landscape and states: “There’s a finite number of people who are willing to pay for access to Times journalism in a sea of free news and information, and the Times appears to be approaching that level.” With a standard in place where people expect to have access to information for free and few remain willing to pay for news it leaves traditional news organizations to face a grim reality. Further troubling is the fact that now, as Moses mentions, the internet has provided a multitude of different outlets for audiences to access information and news. They no longer need to rely on major news groups and pay for the news when they can go elsewhere to access it. This reflects the fact that regardless of how many shares an article gets it may not be read and may not help get another subscriber.
Moses talks about how the NYT has implemented different strategies to attract readers. One example of this is the use of limited articles; for example the NYT only allows nonsubscribers to read a certain amount of articles over a short period time in order to create an incentive to subscribe. Personally, I have ran into this with the NYT and found it to be very frustrating however despite wanting to read more I would still prefer to go to other sources rather than pay for a subscription. I believe that, unfortunately for many newspapers, audiences feel the same way.
Matsa, K., & Mitchell, A. (2014, March 26). 8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Moses, L. (2014, December 31). What we learned about The New York Times this year. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
Kirsten James
ReplyDeleteI think that social media is definitely a major source for news in this current day. Most people, myself included, use newspapers less and less because they have easier access to it by using sites such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It’s also easier to simply pick up your phone and download an application than going out of your way to pay for a newspaper. “Mobile devices are a key point of access for […] Twitter news consumers. The vast majority, 85%, get news (of any kind) at least sometimes on mobile devices. That outpaces Facebook news consumers by 20 percentage points; 64% of Facebook news consumers use mobile devices for news. The same is true of 40% of all U.S. adults overall.” (Twitter News Consumers).
I can personally relate to this quote because I get most of my news from Twitter specifically as well. Another bonus of using social media for news is that you can communicate with others and see how they feel about certain topics and I feel like Twitter and Facebook is the easiest outlet to see what people are talking about. “Still, more than half of Facebook news consumers, 58%, have been surprised by a friend’s or family member’s views – suggesting that at least to some degree Facebook has helped people get to know where their friends stand on different issues” (The Role of New on Facebook).
I have discovered a lot of different news topics through Twitter hash tags and different conversations people have about these topics. Instagram is also a good outlet for news because people are likely to post pictures of big news stories especially pictures of victims when a tragedy strikes, a recent example being the Chapel Hill shooting. When the incident occurred, I saw many pictures of the victims before I was able to read an actual news article. Additionally, it is very likely to find entertainment/ celebrity news on Instagram because it is a trend for people to make “memes” typically making fun of them and whatever situation they’re in.
Lastly, although Facebook is considered outdated compared to other social networking sites, it is still a site I go to for news when I want to see different news articles along with the opinions of those who posted it. I also like to go to Facebook for news to see what some of my family feels about certain stories. “For those who get news on multiple social networking sites, Facebook is likely to be one of the ones they use. More than half of adults who get news on Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn and YouTube also get news on Facebook. Aside from that, the shared audience between these sites is relatively small” (News Use across Social Media Platforms).
I definitely do not think that social media will become less of a source people can use for news because it is so popular. It’s easy to access, it is typically free, and gives a larger insight into how others feel about certain topics.
Works Cited
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
16 February 2015.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 16
February 2015.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 February
2015.
Abigail Sisti
ReplyDeleteI agree that social media is playing a major roll in our society. I feel that companies have to change the way they will operate businesses. Social media affects everyone daily. People interact with people that they haven’t seen. People can get information faster because of trending topics being constantly updated.
I agree that each social media has their own specialty. I think that social media is definitely not a trend. I do not think that social media will fade out easily. I think the social media market is growing.
People also gather news from social media. “Roughly half of both Facebook and Twitter users get news on those sites” (Pew Research Center, 2). I think that social media is changing the way we receive news. We are constantly getting updated on events faster than ever before. I personally think that social media is a positive and negative thing. I think that getting your news on social media can be dangerous because the information can be wrong. On the other hand being able to access News and information on what is happening in the world is an amazing thing. One of the places people are reading new is on twitter.
“A core function of twitter is passing along pieces of information as the story develops”(Twitter News Consumers). Twitter takes people step by step through a News story. I think that different News network having twitter and other social media is a great thing. I think that social media is a way to connected to all age groups of people. In this time people are constantly on phones, tablets, computer. By connected to social media everyone whose has a social media account can be connected. Social media plays a very important roll in our society today. I don’t think that it’s a negative thing. I feel that by the News changing and developing their strategies in the news is a very important thing. I think younger people are actually paying a little bit more attention to news. I think this because news is becoming convenient.
Works Cited
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe most intriguing concept I discovered through the readings is how social media is becoming reliable source for news. Social media site such as Facebook and Twitter have captured user’s attention by displaying news stories. A study done by PewResearchCenter titled, “The Role of News on Facebook”, stated 64% of all adults use Facebook, and 30% of those adults use the site as a source for news. It went on stating of the 30%, 22% think Facebook was a useful way to get news (“The Role of News on Facebook”). It is also interesting to see how social media sites, who originally had nothing to do with news, have transformed their image to match consumers who want news. Snapchat is a prime example of this movement. Once it became a popular social media platform, this application’s original objective was to communicate with friends by sending temporary pictures with captions to each other that only last maximum of 10 seconds. As the app continued to grow, Snapchat created its own news program within the app, as users now can see what is happening throughout the world. From looking at my Snapchat app on my phone, the company has partnered up with news organizations like CNN, Yahoo!, ESPN, and People to display news stories.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is evident that technology has forever changed how people consume media, the smarter media companies will survive and thrive as long as their content is worth accessing on all digital platforms. The key is the value of their content, but consumers need to find it when and where they want.
My written response keep getting cut-off and not being posted. Here is my full version of my response:
DeleteI 100% agree with Nicole in the sense that the way consumers receive the news has changed. Instead of people traditionally going out and buying newspapers, they now receive information electronically. Even based on personal experience, I never buy newspapers or magazines to read. I look up my news on my phone via apps such as, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. It seems evident that the media print industry is adapting with technology and becoming predominantly digitalized. A main reason why I support this trend is because of the popularity of mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, and laptops. You can now access news information at anytime and anyplace. A study done by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism stated “The use of smartphones and tablets has jumped significantly in the past year, with fewer people using their computers for news…More than a third of online news users across all countries (39%) use two or more digital devices each week for news and a fifth (20%) now say their mobile phone is their primary access point,” (“Digital News Report 2014”). According to eMarketer, US adults have actually increased their time spent with media from 10 hours and 46 minutes to over 12 hours per day. Traditional media has declined, especially print, but time spent with digital has increased significantly to almost half of the average adults time spent with media. In fact, online activity through a mobile device has increased from 4% to over 23% over the last 5 years. (Cohen).
Here is my second part to my response:
DeleteAnother interesting concept to grasp is the creation of digital-only news organizations. Due to the large amount of digital users, organizations figured they can save money by establishing a website and not having to print their content. According to one of the class readings, “The State of the News Media 2014”, it stated, “Thirty of the largest digital-only news organizations account for about 3,000 jobs and one area of investment is global coverage,” (Mitchell). It seems evident that these companies receive a sufficient amount of online readers to help position themselves as a reliable news source.
The most intriguing concept I discovered through the readings is how social media is becoming reliable source for news. Social media site such as Facebook and Twitter have captured user’s attention by displaying news stories. A study done by PewResearchCenter titled, “The Role of News on Facebook”, stated 64% of all adults use Facebook, and 30% of those adults use the site as a source for news. It went on stating of the 30%, 22% think Facebook was a useful way to get news (“The Role of News on Facebook”). It is also interesting to see how social media sites, who originally had nothing to do with news, have transformed their image to match consumers who want news. Snapchat is a prime example of this movement. Once it became a popular social media platform, this application’s original objective was to communicate with friends by sending temporary pictures with captions to each other that only last maximum of 10 seconds. As the app continued to grow, Snapchat created its own news program within the app, as users now can see what is happening throughout the world. From looking at my Snapchat app on my phone, the company has partnered up with news organizations like CNN, Yahoo!, ESPN, and People to display news stories.
While it is evident that technology has forever changed how people consume media, the smarter media companies will survive and thrive as long as their content is worth accessing on all digital platforms. The key is the value of their content, but consumers need to find it when and where they want.
Sources:
ReplyDeleteCohen, Heidi. "The Social Media and Device Facts You Need In 2014 - Heidi Cohen." EMarketer, 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. http://heidicohen.com/the-social-media-and-device-facts-you-need-in-2014/.
"Digital News Report 2014." Reuters Institute Digital News Report. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/.
Michell, Amy. "State of the News Media 2014." Pew Research Centers Journalism Project RSS. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. http://www.journalism.org/2014/03/26/state-of-the-news-media-2014-overview/.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web. https://quinnipiac.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-1304525-dt-content-rid-7433358_1/courses/MSS495B_15SP/Role%20of%20News%20on%20Facebook%281%29.pdf
Hello Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI do agree that social media is gaining popularity but I still think it has a while to go before it completely takes over traditional media. As described in the Pew research center report only 16% of users of the largest Social network, Facebook use the outlet to seek out news. (Mitchell, The Role of News on Facebook)
2015 is predicted to be the year when millennial’s become the largest living generation and according to a new study from public-relations firm Edelman, 72 percent of millennials say they find online search engines a trustworthy source of general news and information, while only 64 percent feel that way about "traditional media". (2015 Edelman Trust Barometer)
Of course, it should be noted that search engines themselves don’t have their own press rather, rather a site like Google News serves up links to a wide range of stories under a particular topic. Although it seems kind of backwards for millennials to click a link to a story from a traditional media outlet that they consider less trustworthy, but I think the main point of this study is that millennials want to seek the truth on their own terms rather than blindly trust a particular news outlet.
One of the biggest concerns about people getting their news form social media is that it could lead to an online echo chamber. In other words, you choose what outlets and friends will be delivering news to your Facebook or twitter feed. If a news outlet or friend shares a story that you don’t agree with you can simply un-follow them and you will never be exposed to that opinion again. This practice is not reserved simply to social media, if you give a high rating to a movie on Netflix or a thumbs down to a song on Pandora, all of these actions feed into algorithms that try to predict what you want online. The fear is that your online presence will become so customized that you won’t even be aware of voices that are challenging your own thinking. This fear was confirmed by a study form the Pew research center that found that “those with the most consistent ideological views on the left and right have information streams that are distinct from those of individuals with more mixed political views – and very distinct from each other.” (Mitchell, Political Polarization & Media Habits)
There is no denying that social media has made it easier to consume information but I don’t think we are any more informed because of it.
Works Cited
Mitchell, Amy, Jocelyn Kiley, Jeffrey Gottfried, and Emily Guskin. "The Role of News on Facebook." Pew Research Centers Journalism Project. N.p., 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
"2015 Edelman Trust Barometer." Edelman. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
Mitchell, Amy, Jeffrey Gottfried, Jocelyn Kiley, and Katerina E. Matsa. "Political Polarization & Media Habits." Pew Research Centers Journalism Project. N.p., 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Colten Lucas
ReplyDeleteI agree with your view that the news will always be the news and that it cannot die. The news brings people information from all over the world. People should never stop reading or viewing the news because it would bring a very divided universe in which people would only know what is going on immediately around them but know nothing of events in a broader scope of society. The primary ways in which people are reading and receiving their news are shifting over time, especially with new forms of social media that have developed in recent years.
Social media has had a big impact on news because it has a low cost rate and people frequently use it, even if not strictly for the news itself. The well-known online platform Facebook is a good example of how many people get their news from social media. It has become extremely popular in recent years: “Facebook is by far the largest social networking site among U.S. adults, and with half of its users getting news there, is also the largest among U.S. adults when it comes to getting news…roughly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults use the site, and half of those users get news there— amounting to 30% of the general population” (Holcomb). People can sign onto Facebook for social reasons but then see other users posting links to news stories and reactions to these stories. According to a survey of online users, “[m]ost U.S. adults do not go to Facebook seeking news out…Instead, the vast majority of Facebook news consumers, 78%, get news when they are on Facebook for other reasons. And just 4% say it is the most important way they get news” (Mitchell). One survey answer stated “I believe Facebook is a good way to find out news without actually looking for it” (Mitchell). Consequently, people may actually be becoming more informed about world events.
Due to the surge in online media, print journalism is dying. Availability and timing are what make social media news have an advantage over print. Print journalism is not instantly accessible and cannot report news as quickly as online sources can. However, though print journalism is dying, I do not think it will not affect the actual dispensing of news, only the sources from which people will get their news. As a user of multiple types of social media, I can agree that I would not bother to get printed news when I can scroll down on my Facebook news feed and see something that will attract my attention and be free. I enjoy reading my friends’ comments about news topics, and participating in this online world of news makes me become more involved in what is going on in society. I think that social media is not killing the news but actually making it grow, so that news will continue to be the news, but the news will be more popular. One issue, though, is accuracy of information. So many people report and discuss events online and information gets spread so quickly that facts can get twisted and misrepresented. While this issue existed for print media, it exists even more so for online media because it makes almost anyone able to provide “news.”
Works Cited
Holcomb, Jesse, Jeffrey Gottfried, and Amy Mitchell. “News Use across Social Media
Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
Mitchell, Amy, Jocelyn Kiley, Jeffrey Gottfried, and Emily Guskin. “The Role of News
on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
Social media has an extremely far reach with regards to information about current events and breaking news. Twitter, facebook, and other forms of social media are great tools for getting a quick piece of news or information about what happened around the world the night before. According to Pew Research, around 64 percent of adults in the United States use facebook, and around 30 percent of adults get their news from facebook (Pew). However social media is not a great place to gain solid, informed news. Users are somewhat aware of this, though. In another study, Pew Research found that only 4 percent of users get their news strictly from facebook. This is a promising trend, because the article also notes that 57 percent of users do not feel facebook is a "very important way" they get news. Nowadays everyone has an opinion to post and these sites can give you the basic gist of what is happening. But social media is also a place for wild speculation and vast distribution of misinformation. The news media seems to get a lot of what they put on their daily programming from what is trending on social media, and this practice is somewhat backwards. The news used to inform the citizens about current events and the scope of those events. Now, the citizens who participate in social media are responsible for the majority of what people talk about on news programming. This was the case with the Boston Marathon tragedy, as CNN and other major broadcasting corporations began to speculate as to the motive of the bombers, their identity, their location, their affiliation, and so on. This speculative journalism (which CNN uses a lot of, just look at their coverage of the Malaysian airline story) led to misinformed citizens and a ton of confusion surrounding the situation. Some news sites were more responsible than others for this array of confusion, however. Most of the information they were getting was from social media, and this practice should be abandoned in favor of more productive, informative, and more importantly, correct news pieces. Another problem with journalism today is objectivity. Journalists want to stay unbiased, but this practice disables them from one of their main objectives, which is to hold politicians accountable for their actions (or lately, lack of actions). Jon Stewart recently said he is leaving the Daily Show, a political satire show that brings to light current events while putting a comedic spin on them. Stewart and the Daily Show have laid solid groundwork for a possible future for journalism, as the program is extremely informative while also allowing for Stewart’s own opinion to be often graphically and emphatically displayed. He gets to the important facts, holds those that represent him in government accountable, and still has the time to make the show funny and entertaining. Here is an article that presents an interesting take on Stewart’s career and impact on the news.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.avclub.com/article/if-jon-stewart-taught-us-anything-its-objectivity--215247?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview%3A1%3ADefault
Works Cited:
DeleteMitchell, Amy, Jocelyn Kelly, Jeffrey Gottfried, and Emily Guskin. "The Role of News on Facebook." Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
Matsa, K. and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways About Social Media and News." Pew Research Center. 26 March 2014. Web.
Social media is starting to become a huge part in what we know as traditional media. It is taking over the industry more and more every day reducing what we know as traditional or normal journalism. These forms of traditional media are becoming less and less common. But can we say that traditional journalism is dying or is it just starting to evolve with the times and technology. This day in age every one wants everything now. The need for instantaneous media has pushed us to want our news as soon as it happens. In Nicole’s post, she mentions the “convenience” factor, and how consumers want to access their news on their time and not have to wait for the news on TV or the next day’s paper. I believe this is completely true with how every one has access to technology that is on their persons at all times. The Pew Research Center shows the statistic of, “While only 38% of heavy news followers who get news on Facebook say the site is an important way they get news, that figure rises to 47% among those who follow the news less often”(“The Roles of News on Facebook”). This fact shows us that people who do not normally fallow the news traditionally and view in traditional journalism form can now keep up with the news and see the most important news of the day like specific stories of the day without accessing news sites or using what we know as traditional journalism. With technology today and other forms of social media this type of news viewing isn’t just facebook specific. Twitter is one of the largest growing social media tools that people can get their instant news when they want it. Twitter differs from facebook because depending on the accounts you fallow depends on the news you see. This is one of the main ways I get my news. With the schedule I have it isn’t easy for me to consume news from the point of traditional journalism. I use twitter almost souly for news and updated information. With the accounts I fallow accounts that give me up-to-date sports news and scores that unlike waiting for the next day and seeing the score or time shifting the event I can be updated almost play by play with twitter. Not only sports but also with major other news events I can also get as they are reported. And by fallowing multiple news sources I can see more parts of the story than just from one view.
ReplyDeleteIn an article by David Holmes titled, “Who Cares if Buzzfeed has more social shares than the New York Times”, explains how comparing buzzfeed to face book is like comparing, “Coke is beating UNICEF”(Holmes). With buzzfeed being more of a traditional type of media source and facebook being a new aged social media news source, it isn’t fair to compare the two because they are not similar enough in how the reach people with news.
I believe that this new instant media with social media is the new evolvins journalism. I don’t believe that traditional journalism will completely die but shifts will be made to this new form of instant news.
Works Cited
Holmes, David. "Who Cares If Buzzfeed Has More Social Shares than the New York Times?" PandoDaily. 19 Jan. 2015. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.