The list of social media tools
could probably run on for paragraphs, and today’s technology changes so
rapidly that many industries, including corporations and news media, can barely
keep up. In the traditional world, newspapers, corporations, governments, or
other types of leading organizations simply had to give out information, and
people would consume it by reading or looking at it. But this seemingly
tried-and-true method is transforming.
Twitter has
revolutionized the newsroom as well, speeding up an already complicated new
gathering process. What used to slowly crawl in over the wire, now comes
over in real time, tweet after tweet. The modern day journalist mustn’t rest
his eyes for a moment for fear of missing vital information.
However, the 24 hours news cycle may provide a unique value to
journalists. Crowd-sourcing has become a technique many are using to compile
details on a story. Twitter provides real time information, reactions, and
public opinion during breaking stories. Some studies suggest that today,
journalists use Twitter for up to 80% of their news-gathering techniques.
But, reporters must remain cautious and filter through what is
fact and what is fiction. Twitter has created an atmosphere where anyone
can break a story. Misinformation can spread across the globe quicker than the
time it takes to write your first tweet of the day. The average
citizen now owns part of the news reporting process, and a subsequent demand
for fact-checkers has been established. The public relies on journalists to
fill that fact-checking void. News outlets once had the freedom to report
on eventsand explain its details at the same time. Now, the demand from
reporters has shifted to the explanation process, sometimes skipping the
reporting all together, and leaving little room for error.
An increasing number of sources tend to be
in agreement: more people appear to be choosing Twitter as a news source over
viewing traditional media outlets. While actual statistics may be hard to
measure accurately, consider a few comparisons.
CNN regularly has approximately 1.1 million viewers (this
number increases during major events of importance, such as the recent
presidential election.) However, at the time of this writing, CNN Breaking News
(@cnnbrk on Twitter) has 2,764,433 followers.Of course, it isn’t really all
that hard to figure out why there is such a major difference in numbers.Through Twitter, and with a mobile device, people can
receive updates anytime, anywhere, as soon as they happen. Seeking out a
television or a radio is no longer a necessity for receiving breaking news, and
waiting for the morning newspaper to read about a news story is simply an
outdated concept.
Consider the death of Michael Jackson. Within a manner of
minutes, millions across the globe were aware of the story before many of the
major networks had even assembled their news team. An unfortunate side effect
of the Twitter effect is the rapid spread of misinformation, such as the
reported death of Jeff Goldblum, or false Amber Alerts that circulate through
Twitter on a recurring basis.
Still, credible news
sources, such as CNN, no doubt are well aware of the massive reach Twitter can
give them beyond the restrictive confinements of television. The entire world
is rapidly turning mobile, and the desire for instant information is perhaps
more prevalent than instant gratification. Twitter is the means to fulfilling
that desire, and will likely play a major role in the evolution of media.
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