As the editor of three blogs and a contributor to several others, new media is a
pivotal part of my universe. Aside from blogging practically every day, I’m
extremely active on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Also in the new media arena,
I’m regularly watching videos on YouTube, looking up information on Wikipedia
(always making sure to double-check the data, of course), reading stories on
Google News, and engaging in all sorts of other activity online.
It’s
hard to think that when I began my career in the mid-1980s, there was no such
thing as new media. For the vast majority of people on the planet at that time,
the Internet did not exist, for all intents and purposes, and the personal computer was not ubiquitous, as it is today. Ever since the late 1990s, we’ve witnessed
an explosion of platforms in new media. Now, I cannot imagine my professional
and work worlds without new media. Somehow, though, we managed to get by in the
mid-1980s without the Internet and PCs, but if you tried to take the Internet
and the personal computer away from me in 2014, I’d have to protest quite
loudly.
Social media pros and cons
Social media pros and cons
One
of the major offshoots of the Internet and computer age has been the birth, and
subsequent growth, of social media. Popular platforms such as Facebook and
Twitter allow us to share news as soon as it happens (or even as it happens), without necessarily relying
on radio, TV or Internet news reports. Because of the ability to spread
information quickly, it seems sometimes that so much is going on all at once
that it becomes a blur.
Facebook has more than 1.25 billion active users around the world, and Twitter has more than 250 million, according to Statista.com.
On the one hand, the evolution of social media has been a positive development, as we now can keep up to date on events in real time and react accordingly. For instance, social media lets people immediately share information about traffic tie-ups caused by car crashes, dangerous conditions triggered by bad weather, or results of elections at the local, state, and federal levels.
On
the other hand, the evolution of social media has been a negative development,
as it frequently leads to the dissemination of information that is
mean-spirited, vulgar, partially true, or flat-out false. With news rocketing
across the Internet from an array of sources — from traditional journalists to
bloggers to regular folks — the filtering of information that crosses the line of
ethics, morality or decency has become difficult, it not downright impossible.
Unlike like traditional journalists, not everyone can rely on an editor who
second-guesses what you’ve written before
it’s published, and in these times of lean staffs in newsrooms, not even all traditional journalists enjoy that “luxury” anymore.
Great post John! You have a really great knack for organizing your writing. That might sound weird but I think you probably know what I mean. What kind of stuff do you write for HuffPost and how did you get into doing that? I'm a big fan of the site. I'm really interested in learning a lot more about brand journalism. It seems like a good fit for me if I decide to leave the TV news business someday and I think it's a great way to breed brand loyalty and awareness in an age where a younger generation strongly dislikes obvious advertising.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim. You've got a knack for turning a phrase, too. I can write about pretty much anything I want to on HuffPo. I was invited to write for HuffPo by none other than Arianna Huffington herself. You can read more about that here: http://www.prdaily.com/mediarelations/Articles/6_lessons_from_a_chance_encounter_with_Arianna_Huf_16604.aspx … As for becoming a brand journalist, you definitely have the skills for it; the basic skill is being able to tell stories well. If you want to know more about brand journalism, just let me know. I'd be happy to answer your questions.
DeleteReally great stuff John--ironically those 6 tips fit well with advice I often give our reporters about landing interviews and handling them as well. Thanks for the response and I can't wait to learn more from you. Since entering the program and thinking more about the world outside of TV news, I have spent time reading PR Daily as well.
DeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have the experience in using the major sites in order to contribute to blogs and reliable sources. The great question would be is how do you feel about being limited as a journalist about what you can say on the social media with repercussions. Where as an individual who posts something on a social media site with no regulatory boundaries can do and say what they want? I like the setup of your blog page and it there is not a whole lot to distract you away from the main post. Great Job!
Hi, Max. Thanks for the compliment; I was aiming to put the focus on the words rather than the visuals. Actually, I don't feel limited about what I can say on social media. I make it very clear that I am expressing my own opinions, not my company's, when I am on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
DeleteI really like the look of your blog!!! This is my first blog so I am still trying to get the hang of it. I enjoyed reading your post and look forward to reading more of your writting in future assignments.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Taniedra. With practice, you'll definitely get the hang of it. I started blogging about five years ago, and it's second nature to me now.
ReplyDeleteJohn- your blog is phenomenal! What a great inspiration and teacher you are to your classmates and myself. It is an honor to have a professional such as yourself in the class, excellent commentary and presentation. Dr. T
ReplyDelete