Blog Posting #2
Social Media is constantly evolving and will continue to expand throughout time. However, the presentation of Social media is constantly changing while new technology is being developed all the time. When it comes to news; Social Media has increased the availability of news information. Anybody who has the internet can research any topic they want or any news story they choose. Many people look to social media to find news information. You can even read newspapers and magazines online. Due to all the available information online, I can imagine that newspaper and magazine sales have gone down since the increased web-based information. You can search almost anything on the internet but one downside to the internet is anybody can post something so the criteria is not always accurate. Just like you should not believe everything you see on television, you should also not believe everything you read on or off the internet. The best way I have found to find correct data on the internet is to visit as many web sites as I can, so to get as much information to compare to information you get from other sources. A study by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that the stories and issues that gain traction in social media are different from those that lead in the traditional press. (Project for Excellence in Journalism, 2010). In one aspect Social Media has increased the quality of news and information because you are able to access it any time of day and it’s very easy. On the other hand Social Media has decreased the quality because the information is not always accurate and can confuse people when they are receiving false information. This is why you should not believe the first source you see, always view other sources which you can use to compare.
References:
Project for Excellence in Journalism. (2010). State of the News Media 2010. Retrieved on October 13, 2010 from http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/overview_intro.php
