Media Analysis #2

New Media Has Taken Control

      Our lives revolve around the media. Everything we do involves social media, including all the information we obtain. Times are gone when we received information from a formal news source. It's obvious that social media has taken control, but how?

       Since the growth of new media, it seems we cannot have journalism without it. It is obvious new media has changed the field of journalism forever. One of journalisms biggest competitors, Twitter, are both fighting to take the stand. "Over 52% of Twitter users report that they receive their news on the popular social media network." (1). Because Twitter is so convenient and assessable, we can create a news story and upload a picture within minutes. It has become one of the leading sources of quick, easy information.

         But Twitter is not the only competitor. Journalism has changed in the sense where a writer cannot just post a story by itself and receive a lot of credit. Stories have become much stronger with videos, pictures and links attached to it. Being that you can only add a picture in traditional news articles, social media takes the next step in interacting and connecting with the audience.

          Because new media is in the palm of our hands, one can pick and choose what they want, when they want it. Journalism has changed in the sense that the news on TV is only on at specific times during the day. This causes us to arrange our schedule to fit in the news. With new media, we do not have to switch our schedule. It is immediate information at the palm of our hands. "One of the things that attracted me personally to Twitter was the immediate access to other sources of information," says author Tommy Landry. (2). 

             Social media has changed journalism in the sense that there are more easy ways to report stories. In some cases, this is good. It's good because we have people who can report a story as it happens, instead of waiting for it on the news. For journalists, this is bad. It's bad because today, anyone can be a journalist, and it almost requires no training. 

           New media will continue to expand to more convenient ways in the future. It will continue to change every day. In the end, no one knows what the future will hold, so we will just have to sit back, and wait.

Sources-

(1) - http://www.likeable.com/blog/2014/08/how-twitter-has-changed-journalism-forever

(2) http://www.business2community.com/social-media/social-media-changed-us-good-bad-01000104