Social media - beneficial or detrimental to the journalism industry?

This week we discussed social media, the rise of opinion and it's effect on factual storytelling. This topic was similar to week 9's topic of social media and the death of the journalism business, however looks at the topic from a different angle. 

Gone are the days waiting for the next local newspaper to be released or for the daily news segment on television. Technological advancements have allowed us to find out the latest news, events and weather through devices. We have all the information we need at the tip of our fingers, and without having to go searching for it. 
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Disseminating news through social media was a smart move. Some may regard the younger generations as ‘lazy’, and putting news posts throughout personal news feeds definitely assists in informing social media users of newsworthy stories and events. Social media is the most common way to access news among 18-29 year old’s. 

A 2018 Forbes study found that social media is now the main source of news online, with over 64% of internet users receiving their news through sites such as Facebook and Twitter, rather than traditional media such as television and newspaper.

Despite the rise of social media as a news outlet, there has been a decrease in how much of an article people actually read. Users often only read the headline or the top sentence, which leaves detrimental effects on the credibility and reputation of journalism – especially online journalism.  An average visitor will only read an article for 15 seconds or less, and will watch a video for an average of 10 seconds. 

The lack of fact checking by audiences for an online article brings the problem we like to call fake news. The accessibility and simple nature of social media sites has made it extremely easy to spread fake news, as discussed last week. 

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So where does this leave factual storytelling and the future of journalism?

Journalists have had to adapt to the shifting from traditional outlets to online platforms. Articles posted by credible sources, such as 9 News, are held in a much higher regard than less credible sources such as The Daily Mail (sometimes referred to as The Daily Fail). 

In order to maintain credibility, journalists have to ensure intense fact checking is undertaken before posting a story. 

Social media has allowed the journalism industry to be a two way communication process rather than a one way system. This means journalists need to pay attention to audience interactions on their posts or stories, which can provide deeper insight and factual information for the journalist, as well as exposure. 

Social media as a news source can be extremely beneficial when used correctly.

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