Social media is like air: it’s everywhere! We live in a time where nothing goes unseen. From viral videos of cats meowing to catastrophic events to solving murder mysteries; social media has become the end all be all.
But how does this affect journalism?
Ready or Not Here Comes Social Media…
Are you a person who is still holding on to the days of newspapers being thrown to your front porch; watching the 5 o’clock evening news just for the breaking updates; tuning into your favorite radio station at a set time for the events happening now?
If you answered yes to any of these, hold your horses because social media is about to take you on a wild ride.
According to Santa Clara University, “In the past five years, social media has become a dominant and growing source of news and information for hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Social media is fast, it’s free, and it’s always with you in your pocket courtesy of your smartphone.”
Who doesn’t like fast, free, and convenient? Understanding social media can have its limits but also have reach beyond measure is what the future needs for journalism to continue to thrive.
Extra, Extra: Read All About It!
Becoming a journalist before the internet was a career only obtained by those who put in many years of work ethic, tenacity, searched for the honest truth, and lived by a core value of ethics.
•Social media has democratized the news, allowing anyone to become a citizen journalist and report on events in real-time.
•Journalists now have access to a vast network of sources and contacts through social media platforms, enhancing their ability to gather information and engage with their audience.
•The way stories are told has been transformed, with social media enabling more in-depth and immersive storytelling through multimedia elements.
•Viral news on social media can spread rapidly, but journalists must be cautious of the challenges it poses in terms of fact-checking and verifying information.
•The traditional business model of journalism has been disrupted, with news organizations relying on social media to drive traffic and increase digital subscriptions.
We may never get back to the days of the typical delivery methods for news, but one thing is for sure, with social media we will never go without having access to the news.
For more information about the pros and cons of social media in journalism, read more blogs at http://www.meeman901strategies.com
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