The Social Media Takeover
Facebook. Twitter. Foursquare. Myspace. LinkedIn. Blogger. Tumblr. The list already seems endless, and yet it is growing at a rate unlike most other growth in America.
Social media is on the rise. Our generation is often referred to as the age of technology, though it is important to note this label comes with both its pros and cons. We are often thought of as attached to technology and excessively reliant on the newest gadget. I have spoken with many older adults that feel our generation has turned to the Internet, email, text messaging, and Facebook, and we are slowly losing the importance of relationships, human contact, and constant interaction.
It would be a lie to say that I caught on to the social media revolution quickly. I never had a Myspace profile. I was reluctant to join the social networking site Facebook, until after I came to USC. I did not have a Twitter account until just last fall, and I must admit I read tweets more often than I contributed myself for the first several months. I have not joined Foursquare or Tumblr, and many of the social networking sites and functions sound more like a foreign language than a means of communication.
But as time goes on and social media rapidly grows, I see the advantages and great potential benefits of social networking on the journalism industry. Social media allows us to see, learn, and distribute the news almost immediately. The public has a growing need for instant gratification and new knowledge by the minute. If your station does not report the story when it breaks and update it as it changes, viewers will tune in to another broadcast that does.
Social media is a fantastic resource for both finding and disseminating information. As a journalist, we can look for potential stories, leads, witnesses or potential interviews on these sites; however, it is important to remember that every fact found online must be properly checked to ensure the source is true. As a producer, I always have a variety of news sources open on my computer in the browser. For the first time this semester I kept Twitter open on my computer as well. While I did not necessarily learn about a new story or potential interview through tweeting, it was a sense of reassurance to know we were on track and staying on top of the news.
I also learned that the use of social media has pervaded nearly every industry and facet of life. In two stories this Thursday, Facebook played a key role. In the first story, a reward was offered for clues regarding the remains found of an unidentified woman. Detectives created a Facebook page titled “The Body Recycler” as an outlet for anyone to offer tips regarding the Jane Doe. In another story, USC’s Take Back the Night created a Facebook event to spread the word that shirts associated with the event had been stolen, and urge students to return them.
Social media is immediate, accessible, and caters to a diverse audience around the world. New social media websites are developing faster than I can keep track of, and they are becoming a journalist’s best friend at an even faster pace.
