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Our source for the news has evolved just as our world. We first were informed of news through reading it in newspapers, then we tuned into the radio to get our updates. Soon enough we were watching it religiously at 6pm whilst we let the dinner cook. Now with the new generation and the advancement of technology, we have been increasingly reliant on these and have now become accustomed to hearing of breaking news through mediums such as Twitter and Facebook.
These days’ people are more likely to be refreshing their news feeds and reading about breaking news on friend’s statuses and wall posts than hearing it first on the six o’clock news edition. The trend to posting breaking news on social media platforms has largely become a reflection of the users demographic and they’re ways of interacting with one another. With the new generation growing up being able to tap into these mediums from the get go, they are beginning to create a new way of living and re-designing how we revolve around technology with our day to day lives. By just purely increasing the time spent on these platforms we will begin to rely more heavily on them to communicate and interact. However with the stories being released on these websites, you may tend to question them than the newsreader on TV.
Re-tweeting and shares from users may not always be a reliable source. Yes, the immediacy and quick disperse can be very useful and posts can gather speed and attention at a rapid pace, but it does have it downfalls. For those that may have accidentally slipped up and reported the wrong news it’s not only humiliating but can be damaging to a reputation, especially if you’re large following is to notice. In fact around 49% of these posts tend to turn out to be false and inaccurate. Some have been correct and spread like wildfire before making it to the televised news, like that of capturing Osama Bin Laden.
Newspapers have kept up with the pace of the digital world too. With the ability to update and include news events that have just occurred on their websites rather than orchestrating a breaking news special or to filter through TV worthy news. This is helping them stay in the game and rendering their online reputation. Newspaper businesses have also claimed that they gain more revenue from online media than printed publications.
It’s bizarre to think that we first heard about the announcement of the Royal wedding, the landing of the plan on the Hudson River and the death of music icon Whitney Huston all on social media. It’s a good indication to show how accommodated we have become to these new means of communication and the new ways in which we interact with large audiences.