Social Media Analysis

Words: 1477
Pages: 6

In the early years of the web it would have been unimaginable to break news online before print or broadcast, never mind using online public platforms to source and verify stories as they unfolded. (Thorsen 2013). Today journalists are monitoring social media for insight into political processes and as an instant indication of "public sentiment" rather than waiting for press releases (Thorsen 2013). The primary purpose of news has not changed, however, social media has impacted the way people interpret news and act upon it. The increasingly active role of audiences in news creation is changing the traditional roles between media and journalists and their readers (Stanoevska-Slabeva 2012).
Before the phenomenon of social media and Web 2.0
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Research suggests that 20% (one in five) now come across a news story through a social media site and of those ,43% are between the ages 16 and 24 (Newman 2012 cited by Thorsen 2013). People who access news via social media are more likely to engage in news sharing- with Facebook accounting for 55% and Twitter 23% (Newman 2012). Twitter describes itself as an "information network" (Twitter 2012 cited by Thorsen 2013). With Twitter's 140 character message limit, which can also include hyperlinks, images, retweeting and the use of hash tags has openly embraced the connection with breaking news, even suggesting:"It's like being delivered a newspaper whose headline's you'll always find interesting- you can discover news as it's happening, learn more about topics that are important to you, and get the inside scoop in real time" (Twitter 2012 cited by Thorsen 2013). Many young people do not need to look for news anymore because it comes to them. They assume their network of friends will tell them when something interesting or important happens and send them whatever their friends deem to be reliable sources, from articles, Twitter feeds, blogs or videos (Skoler 2009). This suggests that in order to make reporting more relevant to the public it is vital to start listening to the audience about the variety of news stories they would like to consume, rather than assuming the material they want to consume …show more content…
They have begun to dominate the internet; 100 million personal blogs were featured in the breaking news sections of the August edition of 'The New York Times' in 2007. This suggests that blogs have become important news sources in their own right. (Wired and Wortham 2007). Footage and reports surfaced during events such as the South Asian tsunami when coverage from traditional channels were limited. This also suggests the significance of blogs as they tend to revive stories that would otherwise fade from newspapers' front pages (Wired and Wortham 2007). They are changing the way traditional journalism is consumed by readers in such a way that readers are getting familiar and almost dependent on them until it is hard to accept anything less. This could be due to the fact that blogging is generally personal so readers can connect with the material that is provided from