When you think about social media, what is the first thought that runs through your mind? Probably Facebook. Then there is Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and the litany of other online places where people go to post pictures, status updates, and anything else that you can think of that connects us as an online community. However, there are a lot more social media sites than those, a whole lot more. From CNN to Yahoo, Blogger, and your local newspaper, all of these webpages can also be considered social media. Anything online that allows you to leave comments or even ‘like’ something could be construed as social media as well.
Do you remember the days of A/s/l? I remember when the only way that you could have any sort of “social” time on the internet were chat rooms. There chat rooms for literally EVERYTHING! They had news chat rooms where people would get together and discuss the news, dating rooms, comic book rooms, chat rooms for chat rooms, and the list went on! I remember that Yahoo and Talk City were two of the biggest chat rooms! And within every chat community there were different sets of rules and different cultures to go by. If you were a Talk City guy, and you went into Yahoo, it was like going from America to Spain; it was just that different. The other chatters could tell if you weren't a regular person either, not just by your screen name but just how you socially interacted.
Social media has changed how people communicate. It has created a new language and new set of skills for people to learn. Chat speak required speed and cell phones didn't also have user friendly keyboards so shortcuts like LEET were created. Now, any site that has anything resembling news from TMZ to MSN has an area for you to leave your comments and like the story. Chat rooms are essentially a thing of the past because you can just leave messages in anyway shape or form you want to. If you want to discuss an area of interest, you leave comments on webpages and they are visible forever. If you see that a workplace is hiring you might email your friend you know was looking or just share it on their facebook page. How we share news has been fundamentally altered by social media. The availability of media has changed what we expect of news as well.
Lets say you just got proposed to. What would you do first- call your mom or post on facebook? What if you found out that where your best friend lives got hit by a hurricane- do you call or check facebook? Ask your grandparents what they would do and see if you get the same answers. What about the news stories that we read that affect us. When you read a story about your hometown you might share it on social media if you are like the other 22% of Americans surveyed by Ipsos (2013). This is especially true if you are a woman. "Women are both more likely to discover news on social media (49 percent vs. 39 percent) and share news with friends through email, text message, or other online methods (50 percent vs. 41 percent) "("The Personal News Cycle: How Americans Choose to Get News," 2014). You might not pick up a newspaper or watch tv news, but 78% of Americans get their news through social media ("The Personal News Cycle: How Americans Choose to Get News," 2014). The study by Ma, Lee, and Goh found that users are not worried about credibility when sharing news on social media. Users are more concerned with community engagment. Jefferies worked with a company that charts social media clicks and shares. She found that people often share titles they find interesting without ever reading the article (2014). Both of these results may leave you worried, and they should. If you are only getting news from social media you may not be getting the whole picture. Scientists are worried this is opening us up to increasing bias. But the news isn't all bad. Availability has changed how many sources people have the option to use to confirm news ("The Personal News Cycle" 2014) . Overall, I recommend you up your intake and check the source, always. It makes for an easier media diet.
Jefferies, A. (2014, February 14). You're not going to read this. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/14/5411934/youre-not-going-to-read-this
Ma, L., Lee, C.S., & Goh, D.H.L. (2012). Understanding news sharing in social media.
International Communication Association, 1-31.
The personal news cycle: How Americans choose to get news. (2014, March 17). Retrieved from http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/personal-news-cycle/
What internet users like to share on social media sites. (2013, September 19). Retrieved from http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/what-internet-users-like-to-share-on-social-media-sites-36804/
