Jenna Pederson
It
was a beautiful April evening in Florence, Italy; I was walking home from the
gym and arrived at my apartment around 9:15 p.m. I decided to check my Twitter
feed before getting ready to go out for the evening with my friends. As soon as
my Twitter feed opened, I realized that something was happening in Boston. My
newsfeed was flooded with concerns for Boston: “thoughts and prayers” for
runners, families and those injured or killed. I called out to my roommate who lives
in a Boston suburb, but neither of us could initially grasp what had happened.
We determined that a bomb had gone off at the Boston Marathon, and people we
knew were there. Feeling frantic, I contacted my mother who was at work in
Maine; she had no knowledge of the event. How was it possible that I was aware
about something happening in Boston from more from 4,000 miles away with a six hour
time difference and completely different news systems before someone in the
United States who lived just a few hours away from Boston? The answer is social
media. Over the next few days, my friends and I followed the events of the
Boston Marathon Bombing through shared Facebook links and Twitter posts.
According to Media Measurement, news of the bombings was almost instantly
reported on Twitter and in the twenty-four hours following the event,
"Boston marathon related tweets numbered over 3.5 million" (Media
Measurement).
Was
the news reliable and accurate? As the CNN article, In today's warp-speed world, online missteps spread faster than ever,
written by Todd Leopold points out, "We want information, but more than
that, we want it quickly-- and thanks for smart phones, which now compromise
the majority of cell phones in the United States, we're never far away from the
latest bits of media.. And accuracy? Speed rules, baby… So much for patience.
We want the world to listen, and we want it now" (Leopold). Twitter and Facebook were the fastest and most
convenient sources to find information when abroad. We could connect with our family and friends;
receive up to the minute information about what was happening in the states,
and process information about the Boston Marathon Bombing and other news events.
Information was shared quickly so although we were on opposite sides of the
world, those of us from Quinnipiac studying abroad in Florence felt as if we
were present for the bombing in Boston. Predicting
Dissemination Of News Content In Social Media: A Focus On Reception, Friending,
And Partisanship points out that: “The more
people consume news within social media, the more likely they will share that
news with others.” Many friends and people we followed were sharing information
about this event constantly during the hours and days following the crisis.
For the sake of verifying information, I follow Newsweek, The Daily Beast and
CNN on Twitter (my friends may not have access to accurate information) so I
was able to also receive up to the minute reports of the event from more
reliable sources.
According
to Pew’s research in Twitter News
Consumers: Young Mobile and Educated: “Nearly one-in-ten U.S. adults (8%)
get news trough Twitter, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center,
in collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Compared with
the 30% of Americans who get news on Facebook, Twitter news consumers stand out
as younger, more mobile and more educated.” The Pew Research Center further
describes my peers and me as the perfect example of Twitter news consumers: we
are between the ages of 18-29 (45% of Twitter news consumers fit this profile)
and we are educated with "some college" though soon we will have
Bachelor's degrees (40% of Twitter news consumers have a Bachelor's degree or
more). Holbert and Weeks writing in Predicting Dissemination Of News Content
In Social Media: A Focus On Reception, Friending, And Partisanship
agree stating: “Despite evidence that older Americans are
increasingly turning to social media, the results here suggest social media
news users are young, technologically literate, and get most of their news
online” (Holbert and Weeks).
It
is undeniable that social media has a great impact in the dissemination and
sharing of media. Examples of this impact can be found in the methods social
media users utilized to share the news about Osama Bin Laden’s death; talk about
the destruction of Hurricane Sandy; and in other events that capture the
attention of consumers. News and information travel quickly across social media
platforms, and this information is only as far away as a person’s smart phone. Hurricane
Sandy left many without power or access to news via television when it raged
over the East coast of the United States in 2012. With the power out, people
with smart phones and tablets turned to social media for storm updates and tips
about what they needed to do and to let people know they were safe or needed
help. Is the news broadcast throughout social media accurate? Because of the
accessibility and popular use, it is easier than ever to spread false
information quickly. “Of course, the desire to be first, even
at the risk of being wrong, is nothing new. But social networks and real-time
Internet portability have combined to spawn errors and reactions at an
increasingly breakneck pace, particularly on Twitter, which -- with its brevity
and scope -- makes it easy to disseminate clickbacks and comebacks in 140
characters or fewer” (In today's
warp-speed world, online missteps spread faster than ever). Bloomberg
BusinessWeek’s Jared Keller argues that during Hurricane Sandy, “Twitter
proved effective not just as a newswire, but as a medium for distributed
fact-checking. As quickly as the falsehoods emerged, journalists and city
officials moved to swat them down” (How Truth and Lies Spread on Twitter). In the process, correct information was
shared and viewed by people who needed to know where to go for help, what
services were available, and more.
In today’s Internet dominated media age, news can be
shared within moments of when it takes place. The news will not only be shared
locally but can be distributed on a global level. Is social media an accurate
source of information? In this new age of media, the decision is up to us to be
responsible consumers and sharers of news. I have come to expect access to news
and media access at my fingertips at any time. I want to know what is happening,
and I want to know it as soon as possible. Yet, I believe we must consume our
media with a critical mind. Is this news from a reliable source? Is this news
accurate? In today’s fast paced news world, you must constantly fact check news
media that you view on social media sources. Otherwise, you might be led to
believe some pretty silly things.
Take a look at 10- Fake photos that went viral
during Hurricane Sandy:
Works
Cited
"10 Fake Photos of Hurricane
Sandy That Went Viral." Mental Floss. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
Leopold, Todd. "In Today's
Warp-speed World, Online Missteps Spread Faster than Ever." CNN.
Cable News Network, 06 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
"Social Media and The Boston
Bombings – Bad News Travels Fast." Social Media and The Boston Bombings.
Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research
Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Weeks, Brian E., and R.
Lance Holbert. "Predicting Dissemination Of News Content In Social Media:
A Focus On Reception, Friending, And Partisanship." Journalism &
Mass Communication Quarterly 90.2 (2013): 212-232. Communication &
Mass Media Complete. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Jenna, I completely agree with your points about how social media has completely transformed the way that we receive news. We have perpetuated a culture of constantly needing to know all the news as soon as it happens, which has both positives and negatives. Until recently, I did not understand the power of Twitter as a way to gather information and immediate breaking news updates. With tragedies such as the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombings, people wanted instantaneous updates as soon as even the smallest piece of information was released. Unfortunately, as you mentioned in your post, the concern is not whether the information they’re receiving is accurate; the focus is the speed of obtaining it.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I realized this downside to obtaining immediate information was during the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting last December. I was glued to my phone and computer screens that day, as was everyone else. A report came through that identified the suspect as Ryan Lanza, a Connecticut resident who had graduated the previous year from Quinnipiac University. I watched the coverage live as reporters gathered outside of his house, displayed a photo of him on the screen and stated details about his personal life. The news networks broadcasted screenshots of Ryan’s Facebook and Twitter profiles, trying to gather any possible clues while the audiences at home watched live, soaking it in. My Facebook news feed exploded with posts of disbelief and disgust; my classmates were shocked that a murderer could have attended our school just months before. I even saw posts from students who had classes with him the previous semester, saying that they always thought he was “strange” and were “not surprised.”
However, the suspect was identified a few hours later as Ryan’s brother, Adam Lanza. Ryan had not even been in the area during the shooting, and lived in a completely different state. Although the Lanza family will spend the rest of their lives coping with this tragedy, the suspect’s brother being wrongfully confirmed as the mastermind behind such a heinous crime never should have happened. Mistakes like this can easily be made when networks are desperately scrambling to get any information out possible, no matter if it is true or not.
(continued)
ReplyDeleteAccording to a report by Pew Research Center, “nearly one-in-ten U.S. adults (8%) get news through Twitter…Twitter news consumers stand out as younger, more mobile and more educated” (Pew Research Center). What this report fails to address is the reasons why Twitter is so appealing to younger audiences. As millennials, we are known for having short attention spans and a need to absorb information at rapid speeds. Once we have a piece of information, we run with it – in cases like the Sandy Hook situation, this may mean sending out a furious Facebook post immediately after recognizing the suspect’s name. We are constantly on-the-go, which means that we do not think that we have time sit down and carefully read through a source or article. For example, according to Newspaper Association of America, millennials are 112% more likely to read a newspaper from a mobile device than adults (NAA). Reading anything on a mobile device increases the likelihood of skimming, which in turn increases the likelihood of missing something important. Even as small a word such as “alleged” or “unconfirmed” can make a complete difference in the reactions that stem from the news.
I completely agree with you that in our digital age where gathering information has become a race, we must be responsible media consumers. This means fact-checking and carefully analyzing the sources that we receive the information from. Otherwise, we will eventually find ourselves in situations where we are so over-saturated with information that it will become impossible to identify the truth.
Works Cited
"Millennials Still Want Their Newspapers [Infographic]." NAA.com. Newspaper Association of America, 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Jenna, I really liked how you started your blog off with a personal story. It is so true that news is constantly coming to us at the speed of light and it is available to us through all social media platforms, especially Twitter and Facebook. I can completely relate to getting the majority of my news via my social media sites, mainly Facebook. I remember learning about the Boston Marathon bombings last year through my Facebook friends’ statuses. I saw one status that said something along the lines of, “praying for my friend who participated in the Boston Marathon today, if you see this contact me ASAP.” At first I didn’t really think anything of it. Then I started seeing more and more statuses about it. I then decided to look into it. I found numerous updates on it on news sites such as CNN.com. I then asked my parents if they heard about it and to my surprise they didn’t. I knew my mom used Facebook so I was shocked that she didn’t hear about it yet.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Pew’s research in the article The Role of News on Facebook, most U.S. adults do not go to Facebook to seek news. Instead, the majority of Facebook news consumers, 78%, get news when they are on Facebook for other reasons. Only 4% say it is the most important way they get news. The research also shows that Facebook exposes people to news who otherwise might not get it (The Role of News on Facebook). I know for me, I don’t always go out seeking the news. I just happen to find out major news stories from Facebook. The question is always, how accurate is the news I am receiving on my social media sites? Many people post pictures of events that aren’t real pictures, which can lead to rumors. I remember the one picture that circulated the Internet of the little “girl” who was killed in the Boston bombings. It was a picture of a little girl running what appeared to be a marathon. It was later discovered that picture had nothing to do with the Boston bombings and it was in fact a little boy who was killed. This just goes to show that anyone can post anything about a news story and unless you dig deeper into it by searching for information from reliable news sources, you may be misinformed. Everyone today is a journalist in some way. Like you stated in your blog post, it is undeniable that social media has an impact in the dissemination of sharing media.
Twitter is another social media site that delivers news quickly to its users. I do not use Twitter as often, but when I do I always see news. Another Pew Research article titled, Twitter News Consumers: Young, Mobile and Educated,” states that a core function of Twitter is passing along pieces of information as the story develops. Although this can be a positive thing when trying to seek news, one must be careful not to fall into the trap of believing everything you hear on social media. You must be a smart media consumer and get all the facts first before jumping to conclusions.
Works Cited
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
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ReplyDeleteJenna, I really thought your blog was informative and relevant to what social media has become and its significant influence on younger audiences. I appreciate your personal story approach, I thought that was a very simple yet easy way to introduce and discuss your topic. The personal approach worked great because it is very relatable, specially with a younger generation like ourselves. Last year, during the Boston bombing, I was in Paris studying abroad as well. I however learned of the tragedy through Facebook and I had an actual roommate who was from Boston and she informed me as well of what was happening. At that time, I had deleted my old twitter account, so I depended on Facebook and CNN to keep me updated with the news stories. I have to admit, hadn’t I deleted twitter I would have probably been more informed about the tragic news. The problem is that as we grow older, so does technology, now what that means is that before, as consumers we used to depend on television and radio to keep us posted with worldwide or national news. Nowadays, we received our news through social networks like twitter, Facebook, and even Instagram. Specially with younger kids like myself, we no longer watch television or listen to the radio as much, we are constantly hooked on our social media life, whether is using Facebook or writing tweets, we are very involved with today’s social media.
ReplyDeleteJenna, although you mentioned that twitter is an effective social media source for news, Facebook as well plays a big role when distributing news. According to Pew’s Research Center in their report News Use across Social Media Platforms, “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.”(3) In other words, because of its large market and popularity, Facebook has become one of the top, if not the best social network to obtain coverage on news and stay informed with what is happening around the world, and they don’t just target the younger audience, but adults as well. However, Jenna, that doesn’t mean that twitter is behind. I do agree that twitter has come along way and it has expanded over the years. Twitter has become very popular among the younger audiences, which explains why the younger generation would most likely obtain their news through this social network. In Pew’s Research Center report Twitter News Consumers, “Twitter news consumers stand out for being younger and more educated than both the population overall and Facebook news consumers.”(2) it doesn’t surprise me that twitter consumers are labeled as being young and educated, perhaps a lot of young professionals see themselves using twitter not just as a way to keep themselves informed but also as a way to advertise their jobs as well as what they do. Remember, that it is still business not just for these social networks, but the many people that benefit from the usage of social media.
Now going along with what you said Jenna about fact checking and the importance of accuracy, indeed it is up to the consumer to do their own research because the truth is that journalism has changed, and more than keeping accuracy as their number one priority, news channels and news companies in general, are in competition with each other, so it isn’t about reporting the truth, but more about who can produce and distribute news fast. As consumers we have to be careful with what we read sometimes, because sometimes the information may be false and deceptive, and it could mislead us. It is our responsibility to obtain our news from reliable sources, sources that have been verified and could lead us to truth reporting.
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.
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ReplyDeleteJenna, I also agree with your main points about the significant role social media has played in determining how we as a generation consume news. Rather than stating the impact that social media can play in presenting news to society, I liked how you started your blog with a real-life event that relates to the topic at hand.
ReplyDeleteSocial media has played a huge role in determining how we as a people not only consume news, but help spread that news to communities in which we are linked to. For example; Facebook’s growth over the past year and the accessibility of news articles that audiences can now ‘share’ and ‘suggest’ to their friends. Interestingly enough, I actually followed up with an article from Nicholas Kristof focusing on the Central African Republic and the genocidal conflict. Yes, I would tend to agree that social media has played a huge role in determining just how fast we can consume news, but is that news truly accurate or reliable? According to an article in Mashable, news in social media is moving so rapidly from person to person that it is no longer being centrally controlled, often making it less reliable at times. How we receive news is no longer in the hands of reporters, but of everyday people.
Based off the majority of my observations of the Pew Research articles we can begin to identify the importance of user-generated content and how it has become the most popular form of how we consume our news. According to Pew Research Center, 78% of social media users get news they are not seeking. This raises question as to why social media news isn’t accurate. Based strictly from my experiences, I think news articles via Facebook can point towards bias depending on the topic at hand. Statistics show that we are more likely to take time out and read a news article that our friends have reposted or suggested. According to a report by Pew Research, Facebook only accounts for 30% of U.S. adults whilst twitter represents nearly one-in-ten U.S. adults (8%). I agree to some extent, that we as a generation aged 19-29 (just under half of Twitter news consumers) are the perfect fit for news consumption, but I do think we undermine the works of credible newsworthy sources. I think it’s hard for a generation that has been surrounded with digital media and the evolving world of social media, to sometimes question the credibility of our sources. Do we believe everything we read? Certainly not, but I do think we often prefer to stay within our own news boundaries and tune into stories that not only interest us but center on things we want to hear. In relation to the CNN article you discussed: In today’s warp-speed world, online missteps spread faster than ever, written by Todd Leopold, “We want information, but more than that, we want it quickly….” (Leopold) I think the type of news we hear, depends on how fast we want to hear it. As previously stated, I think it’s hard for us as a younger generation to take interest and follow up events that are happening elsewhere in the world and not just on our doorsteps. According to Pew Research “early reports have shown that over 65% of social media users get news on just one social media site. This could either imply, social media ‘news’ is still growing in credibility and that people tend to refrain from following ‘other’ news on various social media platforms, OR that we have become less active or ‘lazy’ in obtaining news information from a number of sources.
Overall, I think the power of social media has the ability to take news to a whole new level. At the present moment, we can use social media to obtain updates and breaking news stories but we must be sure to follow up with traditional sources.
Citations
ReplyDelete“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
Leopold, Todd. "In Today's Warp-speed World, Online Missteps Spread Faster than Ever." CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
“It’s time for truth on Social Media.” Mashable, 20, Apr. 2013. 11 Feb. 2014
I thought this was a good read Jenna. I liked how you jumped right into a personal story about how you heard about the Boston bombings. I myself heard about the bombings while abroad on my cell phone. It made me realize just how accurate you are about how social media has transformed the way people receive their news. I follow CNN and other news related twitter accounts because I like to be informed on world news. When I went abroad it made me more interested in following these accounts. The reason for this is the countries I went to, they all seemed to be in the news for various things. Whether it was right before I traveled to the country or after I was able to learn about the various news stories going on around the world. Had it not been for social media sites like twitter I would not have known what was going on in the countries I was visiting.
ReplyDeleteThe Boston bombings was probably the first time I actually stopped what I was doing and realized how valuable twitter was for me. I immediately knew about the bombings and was able to call my family who live in Massachusetts. After that day I started following more news accounts and within minutes I had access to news all around the world. This allowed me to learn about the news without having to sit down in front of the TV and let a half hour news segment bore me to death.
Looking at the stats on one of the reports by the Pew Research Center, “45% of twitter users aged 18-29 use twitter for consumption of news” (Pew Research Center) This shows how news is evolving from the way it is consumed by adults. Television news stations ratings have slowly decreased over years and to have 45% of twitter users aged 18-29 is a massive percentage. In another report by the Pew Research Center, “8% of U.S. adults consume news on twitter. 16% of U.S. adults use twitter” (Pew Research Center). Based off these stats, it means that 50% of adult twitter users consume news on twitter. This number will only increase as twitter becomes more popular.
I liked how you touched on the accuracy of news. There have been many times where I have read something that sounds ‘off’. I will check the source and if it still sounds fishy I see if I can find it from another site. It is up to the consumer of twitter news to follow the correct and accurate accounts that share news. Twitter and other social media sites allow users to get their news on the go and as fast as they want it. I wake up every morning and get at least two news stories that I find fascinating through twitter. Finally you mentioned using social media during a power outage due to a storm or other natural disaster. This will become a huge way for people to learn about the severity of their situation and what they can do to survive it. Overall interesting read and agreed with what you wrote about.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
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ReplyDeleteThis was a really great blog and really grabbed my attention. I definitely agree with everything you have said here. When I was abroad, I also relied on social media like Facebook to keep me connected to the United States and my life back home. If I weren’t for Facebook or Skype, I would have never contacted my family. It just goes to show how much social media impacts our lives.
ReplyDeleteWe, as Americans, and our generation specifically, often find our news through less than conventional formats and we usually stumble upon it accidentally. As the Pew Research Center’s, “The Role of News on Facebook” points out,
“Most U.S. adults do not go to Facebook seeking news out, the nationally representative online survey of 5,173 adults finds. 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. As one respondent summed it up, ‘I believe Facebook is a good way to find out news without actually looking for it.’”
I am going to assume that when you were looking at your Twitter feed that night while abroad, you weren’t exactly looking for hard news, but rather to see what was happening with friends and family back home. You accidentally came upon this news and I think that happens a lot with social media. I don’t think we actually look for the news we get. I mean, who is going to look up whether a famous person has passed away or even hard news without hearing about it through social media or in person first?
I also definitely agree that we need to take all of the information we do receive on social media with a grain of salt. Sometimes we can’t even trust the legitimate news sites to give us reliable information, so we must be careful when believing everything we read on Twitter or Facebook, which is why I was glad to read that most social media users also get their news elsewhere. According to the Pew Research Center’s “News Use Across Social Media Platforms”, 42% of Facebook news consumers turn to local TV for news consumption as well, while 25% turn to Radio news, 21% turn to a print newspaper and 23% turn to cable tv. Hopefully this means everyone is turning to more legitimate platforms to validate the stories they have read on social media.
Sources:
“News Use Across Social Media Platforms”. The Pew Research Center. 14 November 2013.
“The Role of News on Facebook”. The Pew Research Center. 24 October 2013.
Social media is very powerful. I definitely learn about the news through social media first. I follow ABC News, People Magazine, and other news sources on Twitter. I learn about events on Facebook through people’s posts. However, I always make sure to go straight to the source for more information. I do not always trust or believe the news I read on social media, nor do social media sites post all of the information. I do believe there is a race to be the first source to break the news, but I would rather have a trusted source with reliable information than a source that is more worried about always appearing to have the facts first.
ReplyDeleteThe latest research by the Pew Research Center shows just how prevalent social media is in society, and how many adults utilize social media for news updates. 30% of Facebook users get news from the site, which is almost half of the amount of people who use Facebook in general (Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013). Similarly, out of the 16% of U.S. adults that use Twitter, 8% of users get news from the site (Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013). People get news from all different social networking sites, such as Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn (Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013). “More than half of adults who get news on Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn and YouTube also get news on Facebook” (Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013). “YouTube, LinkedIn and Google Plus news consumers are more likely than Facebook and Twitter news consumers to watch cable news. Twitter news consumers are among the least likely to turn to local and cable TV. And nearly four-in-ten LinkedIn news consumers listen to news on the radio, compared to about a quarter of the general population” (Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013). Social media provides a great platform to learn about news instantaneously, but it is important to continue research and learn more about the latest story to gain full insight and read all of the facts.
“On Facebook, the largest social media platform, news is a common but incidental experience” (Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013). There are many times when I have gone on Facebook to discover that a major event is taking place somewhere, or something tragic happened elsewhere. Social media has become my main source to find out what is going on in the world. I do not check my ABC News app as often as I check Twitter or Facebook. I visit the app once I learn about something that I want to read more about. Most of the time when I go on social media sites, I am not looking for news, but I stumble upon it. “The vast majority of Facebook news consumers, 78%, get news when they are on Facebook for other reasons” (Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013). “Facebook exposes some people to news who otherwise might not get it” (Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013). Social media can be a great way for people who do not read the newspaper or visit news sites to learn about the latest news. This could spark more interest in being more aware about current events.
Social media is convenient. I do not always have the time to sit down and watch the news while at school. “Digital technology has changed news consumption choices and habits” (Pew Research Center. 11 Oct. 2013). However, I watch the news on TV almost every day when I am home from school. My family will sit around the TV, or have the news on in the background during dinner, and I rely more on this type of source than I do on social media. I think the visual aspect of TV news provides a different dimension than just reading the latest stories on social media. Even with news apps providing images and video, I still prefer turning on the TV at the end of the day, and watching the story unfold on the screen.
Works Cited:
“How Americans Get TV News at Home." Pew Research Center. 11 Oct. 2013. Web.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
Ike Azotam
ReplyDeleteDuring my freshman year at Quinnipiac, I also went abroad to the countries of France, Holland, and Belgium. Social media was the only way I was able to communicate with my friends and family without ringing up my phone bill with international charges. Similar to your experience while abroad in Italy, I was able to stay connected with my smartphone by using media outlets such as Twitter, Instant Messenger, and Facebook.
Jenna, I agree with a lot of your points regarding social media and news dissemination. I live right in the city of Boston and it was a nightmare finding out whether or not my family was safe after the Boston Marathon Bombings. Interestingly enough, it was social media that informed me of the devastation. I checked my Twitter feed and was astonished to see my newsfeed filled with prayers and concern for Boston. The aspect that made the whole situation scarier was the fact that people were unable to contact their loved ones in the surrounding area of the city. Fortunately for me, I was able to get a hold of them before I could panic and I owe a lot of my thanks to Twitter and social media.
Before I had my smartphone, I solely relied on television and the Internet for breaking news and updates. Now, I am able to receive information quickly and with a touch of a button. Millions of people instantly tweeted following the events of that day; it has been reported that there were 3.5 million Boston Marathon related tweets (Media Measurement). The fact that you were able to know of these events while 4,000 miles away in Italy is because of social media.
In a recent article by the Pew Research Center called, “Twitter News Consumers: Young Mobile and Educated,” it states that, “one in ten adults get news through Twitter, and 30% of Americans get news on Facebook. Although it may seem low, these numbers were drastically lower a couple years ago (Pew Research Center). Even though more American adults are turning to social media for their news, Twitter users are generally young adults and get most of their news online because it is much more convenient for them (Holbert and Weeks). I personally believe that social media (in the future) has the power to be a very prominent news outlet.
However, along with Twitter comes their flaw. I like how you brought up the fact that false information can be spread just as fast as factual information. I was surprised to see that so many falsehoods emerged online during Hurricane Sandy, and that fact checking outlets were created to share correct information during the storm (How Truth and Lies Spread on Twitter).
This new age of social media dominance will help news and updates travel farther and faster than ever before. With more and more of the American population making the switch to smartphones, I expect the number of people using social media as a news consumer to increase within the next few years.
Works Cited
1.)"Social Media and The Boston Bombings – Bad News Travels Fast." Social Media and The Boston Bombings. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
2.)“Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
3.)Weeks, Brian E., and R. Lance Holbert. "Predicting Dissemination Of News Content In Social Media: A Focus On Reception, Friending, And Partisanship." Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 90.2 (2013): 212-232. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
4.) “The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web
Jenna, I think you really hit all the aspects about how dangerous social media can be when breaking news gets out. Our generation is constantly browsing social media. Half the time it isn’t to see what is the most recent breaking news but just to communicate with their friends. However when something is constantly being tweeted about or is trending on all sorts of social media platforms it is hard to ignore. It is also hard for a lot of people not to believe it. When the Sandy Hook tragedy first took place I remember posting on Facebook I can’t believe the shooter went to Quinnipiac. Ryan Lanza a Quinnipiac graduate was not the shooter I found out a few hours later. It was his brother Adam. After hours of watching the news and looking for Ryan Lanza’s Facebook page just to see what he looked like I felt horrible and stupid. I couldn’t believe I had become one of those people that started posting before the actual news came out. My Twitter and Facebook newsfeeds blew up over the tragic news. Social media can spread rumors and really draw you in sometimes to believing them especially when the friends you interact with on these platforms are talking about it.
ReplyDeleteThe Pew Research articles really show a great amount of statistics and information on how fast Facebook and Twitter can get News out to its users. In the article The Role of News on Facebook, Pews research shows that only 4 percent of people who are news consumers say they that this is the most important way for them to get their news. However 50 percent of users click on News stories that are surprising or unexpected. (The Role of News on Facebook) This is one of the ways I find out about breaking news stories, whether it’s a rumor about sports, entertainment, or tragic news. I will click on something that I am interested in and see what people are saying about it when I am on Facebook. Especially when I see my friends talking about it I am more inclined to click on the story or comment on that persons status.
I can also relate to your to your Boston Bombing story. I may have not been in another country but I was in class while I saw my twitter feed explode almost every tweet was pray for Boston. As soon as I got back to my room I turned on CNN and saw the horrific video of the bombs going off and the pictures of the bloody scene. The Pew Research article called Twitter News Consumers: Young, Mobile, and Educated. Pews research shows that Twitter passes along information as a story develops which was happening here with the Boston Marathon Bombing. According to research done by Pew only 16 percent of adults use Twitter, but half of these adults don’t consume all their news on Twitter. Pew says that Twitter news consumers stand out for being younger. (Twitter News Consumers) This is definitely true you see the younger generations using Twitter to consume their news today. However breaking news on twitters can sometimes be false. When I was browsing my news feed that day there were many photos of men who were thought to be the bombers. This is a growing problem with our generation believing the first thing they see, it also sometimes makes us follow the developing the whole story on a News network like I did when I was following CNN for the Boston Marathon Bombing.
1. “The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.
2. “Twitter News Consumers.” Pew Research Center. 4 Nov. 2013. Web.
Jenna, you have made some really great points about social media and news dissemination and I can honestly say that I have also noticed the effects of social media in my every day life.
ReplyDeleteEven though I do not watch or read as much news as I should, social media almost always ensures that I stay up-to-date with current issues. I remember scrolling through my Tumblr dashboard one day and seeing a gif-set of an episode of The Daily Show, where Jon Stewart put an honest and comedic take on some Fox News bias and false allegations. Seeing this on social media was actually what got me watching shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
Although I do not have a Twitter account, Facebook has always provided me with insight into news, whether that information was accurate or not. It seems to me that every time there is some major news story, such as the results of a political election, a controversial law, or an environmental disaster, my Facebook news feed instantly turns into a continuous stream of my acquaintances’ personal views on these topics. As the Pew Research Center found, however, “Most 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” (The Role of News on Facebook). I agree with this statement. I am usually checking in on Facebook as usual when I notice these newsworthy statuses and friends sharing links to news articles. While Facebook is what initially grabs my attention, I have to go to an outside news source to figure out what is truly accurate. The news I see on Facebook may either be biased due to the poster’s personal beliefs, or it could contain some inaccuracies based on the instantaneous reaction without proper research. This is particularly true regarding politics, as I always see statuses that are argumentative rants rather than unbiased facts.
I was surprised that the Pew Research Center found that only 13% of social networking users get news from Instagram (News Use across Social Media Platforms). In the past year or two, I have seen many Instagram users turning to Instagram to post about major news. The Sandy Hook shooting in particular resulted in numerous Instagram postings praying for the children and their families. Several of the users I follow posted individual pictures of the children, the school, or images promoting love, hope, and peace in times of hardship. These were usually accompanied by long descriptions about the tragedy, the user’s personal opinion, and requests for prayer. When the Boston bombing occurred, Instagram users posted news images or symbols of Boston and Boston pride. Although these posts do not provide a lot of factual information, they spark users’ attention and make them curious enough to research the news themselves.
“News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Center. 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
“The Role of News on Facebook.” Pew Research Center. 24 Oct. 2013. Web.