Introduction

With all of the hoopla that surrounds the rise of social media, it is often easy to overstate the effect it has on various aspects of our lives. But there is one area where it may be difficult not to understate social media’s influence, and that is the news. To be short, social media has not merely influenced the news, it has become the news. Let’s brooch some discussion topics this phenomenon and responses to it.

Interactivity

Not more then a decade ago, news sources were many, but not varied, as they all used the same “them to you” model. Be it radio, paper, cable, or just your local at 11, the public had very little input aside from editorials or the occasional gimmick dial in.

Social media has rewritten the rules on interaction. A news article found online is now subject the immediate dissemination and discussion – with results that are not always pretty. In response, some organizations have chosen to close their topic forums or comment services, but this is no defense. Users simply link the article to their favorite social media application and the discussion proceeds unfettered.

With this in find, news outlets have been forced to rethink their publicity policies, as even the slightest mistake (or perception of one) can have disastrous consequences.

That all said, interactivity is also a boon for organizations, as they can leverage this to create a sense of responsiveness to their communities, and gain another source for their story searches.

Economy

Smaller news sources with little market and even less in their budgets have found social media to be a powerful and money saving tool. Facebook live streaming for instance, allows video distribution without networks or even a studio. The social media itself then acts as a distribution tool, again affording smaller news outlets a larger voice with little investment.

Quality

An oft cited complaint is the downward turn in news quality due to social media. This may be a fair complaint. Placing power of voice into the hands of individuals who lack the training, professionalism, or accountability of a larger organization, and mixing that with sometimes emotionally charged topics is a recipe for muck.

Then comes the “right now” > “right” issue. With instant access being order of the day, there is simply no time for prudent quality control. Throw in click bait, fake news, and other intentionally misuses of news media and there is a good chance of generating complete public apathy. It’s still too early to see how these problems will be resolved, but hope springs eternal. it’s not the first time news delivery has been disrupted, and perhaps as the social media concept matures, quality will come along for the ride.