We are social media

Shawna Polivka
SP102706@ohio.edu

Buckle your seatbelt, sit back and enjoy the ride because social media is here and all of us are along for the ride. As Vadim Lavrusik states in his article, “The Future of Social Media in Journalism,” “Bloggers will no longer be just bloggers, but be relied upon as more credible sources.”

Our new role

Not only can every day people become the “credible sources,” but we will also be able to chose what we want to see. Lavrusik says, “Slowly a new player is emerging to fulfill the role as a partial news editor. That player is the social network of the reader and consumer.”

Anyone using social media sites can help guide journalists on the road to building a better story by providing trends, sources, photos and news tips. According to the fourth annual Digital Journalism Study, “47% of journalists use Twitter to source new leads.” We are guiding the news and determining what is newsworthy.

Journalist for the Sky News in Britain, Neal Mann, stated in this article, “[M]y Twitter feed is a personalized wire service, except, unlike the traditional wires, I have to interact with it… my followers have become an extra tipping service. I often receive tweets from followers along the lines of ‘have you seen this’ or ‘check their timeline’, and this interaction has proved invaluable.”

This photo was posted by amateur photographer, Stefanie Gordon, on her Twitter account after her plane landed. News sources went crazy and the picture was soon all over the Internet along with stories on her instant fame.

Social media benefits for journalists

According to the article, “Social media reshapes journalism,” the benefits of social media work for both the reader and the reporter. Journalists will be able to create relationships amongst readers, which allows for building trust and creating reader loyalty.

Although a lot of blogs are just reproductions of old news, readers help to spread new content via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites. As a result, the audience of a journalist expands rapidly.

It’s the future

I think a lot of journalists look down upon social media as the place to find news. However, I have to admit, Twitter is my main news source these days. In one location, in a matter of 30 seconds, I can have all of the main stories of the day at my fingertips. Journalists need to jump on board, or they’re probably going to find themselves in the dust.

Photo from Stefanie Gordon's Twitpic