BLOG: Social Media is Changing The Who, How and Why of Journalism

Social media has become the main source of breaking news and, as of 2020, half of U.S. adults (53%) say they get news from social media “often” or “sometimes. This shift away from traditional news formats and reporting is changing the industry on many levels. As the changes continue to unfold, there are questions left unanswered to how this will affect journalism.

Citizen Reporting

Social media is, at its core, a way of disseminating information. On every platform, there are spaces where people can share stories and news in way that did not exist 30 years ago. In recent years, researching, analysis and reporting by private individuals has been deemed "citizen journalism."

This type of journalism has changed the "who" in terms of who is allowed to be a journalist. It forces us to really consider what makes a journalist a 'professional' reporter, as well as the role of citizen journalists' work in today's media landscape.

Engagement

One of the major things that the invention of social media brought to the table was a whole new level of interaction between audience and previously inaccessible groups. This comes in two forms.

First, there is now this ability for the average US citizen to comment and reply to leaders, or to fellow citizens, in comments sections or on their own personal social media. It removes the barrier between leaders and their constituents, which allows for much more dialogue and discourse between the two. Journalists can now use these public conversations on social media to track what the public is actually saying in real time.

Media groups are also using social media it to create a closer relationship to their audience. The process has grown so much recently that many news outlets now hire social media editors, specialists or digital media managers to oversee that section of their business. At this point, it is necessary to have a social media presence to remain a relevant news source.

Format Changes

With the invention of social media has come a slew of new forms of media. There are not just paper articles now; we have digital, video, audio, podcasts, Instagram reels, photos and even TikTok news.

With all this change comes some interesting points of conflict. For example, though the number of social media news consumers has increased, the percentage of users who expect their news to be false/inaccurate reporting on said social media has gone up in the last three years, according to Pew Research Center. In 2019, it was reported that 62% of Americans were worried that social media companies have too much power in what news is presented. Much of the effects of social media on journalism have pros and cons, and it'll be up to citizens to decide when one outweighs the other.