Should this collaboration continue?

So has imbedding social media within several news broadcasts paid off in hiring ratings? Are journalists wasting their time sifting through a myriad of social networking sites looking for headlines? I would say it is too early to tell for the first question and answer no to the second one. The social networking “trend” no longer seems to be a trend or a phase, but rather a staple that will be imbedded in everyday life for a long time. Therefore, it would only make sense that every type of medium would try to incorporate social media, particularly because of the audience that social media attracts. The latest medium to utilize social media has been the news, who see social media as a last ditch effort to obtain younger viewers. It has been widely reported that print media has suffered do to the ability to read news online, as the graph below clearly illustrates.

A recent study in media tells us that, “over the past five years, the amount of time young people spend reading magazines or newspapers in print in a typical day has declined by seven minutes, from 19 to 12 minutes daily. On the other hand, some young people now spend time reading magazines and newspapers online. In a typical day, 10% of young people report reading magazines or newspapers online, and those who report online reading spend an average of :21 doing so; the average across all young people is two minutes a day.” However, they may be a ray of light. Another study in media management shows us that even though viewership in print media, by the younger generation, has decreased, other forms of news have seen an increase.

So we can conclude that teens and young adults are reading the news, perhaps not in the amount that the media is used to and not in the same way that generations of the past read their news. The fact that many people now turn to reading the news on electronic media may make it difficult to account for the true number of individuals who take advantage of the information the media has to offer. We can tell by the graphs above that there is a slight rise in media viewership and whether this rise in viewership is due to the incorporation of social media within the news industry is too difficult to tell. Social media seems to lead to more and more stories that are relevant to everyday living and in some cases make for a more interesting story. While the youth seems to be completely enraptured Facebook and Twitter, one cannot fault the media for trying to use these buzz words to capture the attention of a generation who could care less about what the media has to say. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if this plan works.

Sources:
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf

http://www.mediamanagementcenter.org/research/fitting.pdf

News & Social Media At a Glance!

We have spoken at length the past few weeks of the news usage of social media to track down stories, but we haven’t really seen any examples of it. Let’s change that this week! This time around we’ll take a look at a few news stories that made the news thanks to social media posts. Some of these Facebook and Twitter posts may make you scratch your head and wonder aloud, “what were they thinking?” While others may serve to raise an eyebrow or two. Let’s get started!

If you thought your tweets could only get you in trouble in the United States, then you were sadly mistaken. A palace speechwriter in Hanoi, Vietnam got into a bit of hot water for a few unpleasant Twitter posts she made. Mai Mislang, a speechwriter for President Aquino, apparently tweeted, “The wine sucks” after the state banquet hosted by Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet in honor of President Aquino Tuesday during a state visit. The speechwriter also tweeted, “sorry there are no handsome men here,” and “crossing the speedy motorcycle laden streets of Hanoi is one of the easiest ways to die.” Judged as a minor offense, Mislang was apologetic when asked about this remarks and was not harshly reprimanded. (For the full story, go to http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/29/10/pnoy-speechwriter-hot-water-over-twitter-posts)

ABC News reported on a British man who thought it would be comical to joke about blowing up an airport. In his tweet Paul Chambers wrote, "Robin Hood airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your sh** together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!" However, the U.K. police department did not find this tweet funny and arrested the British national. After being release on bail and apologizing for his comments, saying that he was frustrated that his flight was cancelled, Chambers was ultimately banned from the airport. ABC News also reported on two young aides for Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who were forced to defend their tweet about enjoying a frappacino during a diplomatic trip to Syria. Although not as harshly punished as Chambers, the two young officials were reprimanded behind closed doors. (For the full story on both of these topics, visit http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/state-dept-officials-rapped-twitter-posts/story?id=11074934)

This article describes the firing of a Connecticut employee thanks to some unflattering comments made on Facebook. Dawnmarie Souza believes that she was terminated due to her posting “critical comments” about her supervisor on Facebook. While the company contends that Souza, a medical technician, was fired due to her past of being a problem employee, Souza believes that these comments are at the root of her termination. (For more information on this article, go to http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Latest-News/Google-Pay-Raises-Facebook-Use-Under-Fire-After-Employee-Terminations-264742/) Although it seems as if any posts that people make nowadays aimed towards the workplace will be met with scorn and discipline, fear not. Souza, who posted that her supervisor is "being a d***" and a "scum***," is teaming with the National Labor Relations Board to fight for wrongful termination due to her Facebook posting. (For more information on this, visit http://abcnews.go.com/Business/facebook-firing-labor-board-takes-stand/story?id=12099395)

So beware next time you’re on Facebook, Twitter, or just blogging. Someone is always watching, and that someone just might be your employer!

Is the Media Targeting Generation Y with Social Media?

Last time I touched on the increasing amount of focus that journalists are starting to place on social media for news stories but are journalists turning to social media solely for the purpose of stories? Perhaps the media is trying to reel in the younger audiences by appealing to what many of them use daily.

As a member of generation x, I know the closest some of my peers come to watching the news is watching Sportscenter and perhaps an internet article that’s embedded in the opening page of their emails. When one has the news at their fingertips, meaning they can easily log onto cnn.com or an alternate news website, watching the news becomes unnecessary. Besides that, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter usually keep people abreast on the largest news stories as the sites patrons typically comment or post the big news of the day on their homepages. However, it would make sense to try to connect with the younger audience through social media as social networking is part of their everyday life. As impatient as generation x is, the statistics tell us that generation y is even more impatient. Perhaps growing up with technology that allows communication to flow within a matter of seconds may have something to do with their impatience.

The article, “U.S. teenagers have little interest in new: study” (http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN1036737320070710 ) attests to my aforementioned comments. The article, written by Svea Herbst-Bayliss, tells us that 28 percent of Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 said they pay almost no attention to news every day, while 32 percent said they pay only casual attention to one news source a day. Herbst-Bayliss goes onto to speculate that the youth does not rely as heavily on newspapers as their predecessors once did and even though they can use the internet obtain the news, they prefer play games online or e-mail friends. Pew Internet & American Life Project below illustrates the other activities teenagers chose to take advantage of besides catching up with the news.









Another fact that should be added to the discussion, is the younger generation’s skepticism when it comes to truth telling. Perhaps they don’t view the news as a trustworthy source of information or they believe that facts are either altered or omitted in hopes of appeasing viewers. While it is evident that the younger generations do spend a lot of time on their computers or phones, the graph below tells us that they still utilize the television as well.

It makes sense that the news would try to attach itself to the fastest growing phenomenon we have seen since the invention of the television. I have no doubt that news companies are aware of the aforementioned statistics, as are the networks they answer to, and see that the mentioning of Twitter or Facebook in their news broadcast might just catch the ear of younger viewers. Perhaps the news should look into altering its content before they increase their incorporation of social media in their broadcast.

Social Media Domination

Last time I gave a few examples of news stories that included or were headlined by social media usage and ended our conversation speculating as to whether or not the news could report without mentioning some type of social media. In order to comprehend whether or not the news can do its job with or with out social media, I think we first need to identify the growth of social media through the years.

Social media is all over the news because it is all over our lives. Whether discussed in the classroom, used in place of a telephone or used to watch shows and videos, social media seems to be a staple in our lives and more so, the poster boy for the Internet era. However, with everyone so anxious to give the public an update on their lives, how can the media ignore this method of interaction that is right in front of their eyes. As users twitter about minor details in their day such as where they are having lunch, to posting status updates about how they are feeling, who they are dating, and what they plan to do next, one would be hard pressed to blame the media for using social media as a news source. This website, http://www.joesblogg.com/2010/03/social-media-usage-statistics-2010/, tracks the growth of social media over the past several years and the rate of growth is astounding. Facebook is said to have reached over 400 million users worldwide while Twitter hopes to reach the benchmark of 50 million tweets per day. As I said in my last blog, it is not only the children using these sites; adults have also joined the party. The aforementioned website displays these alarming statistics in terms of adult social media usage, “Forrester also recently produced some interesting stats about adults using social media. Some of the findings included:

-A third of adults post at least once a week to social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

-A quarter of adults publish a blog and upload video/audio they created.

-Nearly 60% maintain a profile on a social networking site.

-70% Read blogs, tweets and watch UGC video.”

So out of all these adults using social media, how many of them are reporters or affiliated with news coverage you ask? This link, http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/01/20/more-reporters-using-facebook-and-twitter-for-story-research, tells us “89 percent said they turn to blogs for story research, 65 percent to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and 52 percent to microblogging services such as Twitter. In addition, 61 percent use Wikipedia.” However, we can take solace in the fact that journalists aren’t completely abandoning their old school ways of reporting as there is a lot of fact checking that accompanies these social media sources. In essence, the social media site is somewhat of a starting point for the journalist to discover a story or uncover some facts that may not have been available before. Check out the chart in the aforementioned link and tell me if you believe social media has a place in news broadcasting.

Social Media Headlines Media Usage

While social media started as a medium to be social with those you already know or a method of meeting people, today social media has taken on a life of its own. The internet is not only flooded with articles and YouTube stories, but stories which involve the use of social media in one way or another. We’ll explore a few examples of how the news is using social media for several of their stories.

Channel 7 news reported on this article a few months ago. The article (http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Parents-using-Facebook-to-keep.6537665.jp) deals with parents who are using Facebook to keep track of their kids’ activities and social life while the children are away at college. It was thought that the older generation would prefer Linkedin instead of Facebook, however, now we see that our caretakers have an ulterior motive. The article says that 76% of the parents surveyed admitted to checking their child’s Facebook page to see what their child or children have been up to. With that said kids are now wizening up and refusing to befriend their parents on Facebook, 71% to be exact. So for all of you young adults out there who think they’re parents aren’t satisfied with the cryptic answers you give them when they ask you about your social life, be leery of parents trying to be your friend.

If you thought that your parents following your social activities via social media was the scariest thought you could conjure up, imagine the Feds following your actions online. This article (http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=2080366) speaks to that topic. The article tells us that the Feds are using social media to gather private information on the users. “By "friending" users on Facebook, Flickr, Myspace, Twitter and other social media sites, federal investigators can gather information involving immigration and homeland security cases.”

The most unfortunate and most popular, at least in the Rutgers community, has to do with the death of Tyler Clementi. The use of social media seems to be the catalyst that triggered this event. For those unfamiliar with the story, Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers University whose roommate videotaped him having a sexual encounter with another male. Clementi’s roommate then broadcast the footage on Youtube. So overwhelmed and mortified by this invasion of privacy, Clementi committed suicide by jumping of a New York City bridge. (See this link http://abcnews.go.com/US/victim-secret-dorm-sex-tape-commits-suicide/story?id=11758716 for more information on this story.) Yet again we have another example of social media involved in today’s news media.

These past three examples tell us that social media is not only being used by today’s youth and it is not being used only for socialization purposes. It is clear to see that the amount of news stories involving the use of social media has drastically increased. Perhaps this is due to how great an impact social media has on our lives today. Has social media grown that large that the news can not report the news without mentioning some type of social media website? What do you think?

Lets Get It Started!!!

This blog is intended to observe the impact social media has had and continues to have on today's media. More specifically, how the media ties social media into several of their stories. As technology continues to evolve and older methods of journalism are in danger of becomming extinct, today's journalists seem to use this social media craze to their advantage. While the internet and gadgets such as the kindle are viewed as an immediate threat to print journalism, other methods of reporting have embraced social media with open arms. We will also delve into who is watching and reading the news. The younger generation has been provided with a plethora of new toys or technologies at their disposal making it difficult for the news to gain the youth’s interest. What works in the media’s favor is that these technologies or toys can also serve as platforms to read or view various types of media. Phones with abilities to stream media and computers that serve as mini televisions make it possible for the media to relay its message through different vessel than that of the past. Whether or not this will capture the attention of the youth is hard to determine at the time being. Thus, we will pay close attention to whether this union of the media and social media can garner the viewership of the younger generations.

It is almost impossible to find anyone who does not have a Facebook, Twitter, or Linkden account. It's also tough to find anyone who hasn't watched a video on Youtube be it for leisure or a more productive reasoning. So it is not difficult to find out that reporters are also looking at these social media sites not only for information relating to particular stories, but for the story itself. More and more, the news continues to bring viewers clips from Youtube in order to better articulate a story. The news, along with shows like Sportcenter, also use Twitter and Facebook status updates as a part of their stories. This begs the question, is this really reporting, or has access to these social media sites made for lazy reporting? Perhaps since social media has seemingly taken over the globe, the media can’t help but involve it in their news broadcasts. Like companies or individuals who refuse to adapt to change when change is upon them, these entities will be left behind and perhaps the media does not wish to suffer the same fate. Journalism has seen a significant decrease in the area of print media and is struggling to keep this old occupation alive and social media may be a way to through this profession a lifeline. However, keeping this profession alive is easier said than done as newer technology is making it easier for people to ignore print journalism. Perhaps this collaboration between media and social media will reap great rewards and prove to be the wave of the future.

Come back next week and we'll dig a little deeper into this subject.