The Affect of New Technologies & Social Media on Journalism

In our increasingly digital world, new technologies and social media are constantly shaping how people both consume and produce news. 

With the emergence of social media, journalists are able to utilize various social media platforms to promote their work and ensure that it reaches a wide audience. In return, more people are turning to social media rather than news channels or newspapers to consume their news. 

New technologies are also changing the rate in which news is produced. With advances in production technology, such as editing software, news channels are able to shoot and release content at a much faster rate.

There are many positives and negatives surrounding the impact that new technologies and social media have had on journalism. 

On the positive side, the rise of social media has allowed for increased communication between people all over the world. It is no surprise that people spend a lot of time on social media. So when a journalist posts their work on their social media, this automatically increases the size of the audience that it has the possibility of reaching. Social media has also allowed for individuals to quickly engage with a journalist’s work by reposting it to their own social media, liking it, or responding to it. 

On the negative side, new technologies allow for nearly anyone to publish content whether it is correct or not. This can result in the spread of misinformation and as we are all aware, misinformation on social media can spread fast. 

With the emergence of new technologies and social media in journalism, this has created the space for an active audience to thrive. By utilizing social media platforms, active audiences are able to directly interact and engage with a journalist’s content. In return, the relationship between a journalist and their audience is strengthened since they are able to receive instant feedback and responses concerning their work.

It is increasingly important that journalists acquire the skills needed to embrace the digital era we are living in. Most importantly, a journalist must be willing to learn about new social media trends and technologies as they emerge. If a journalist is not willing to sharpen their social media skills and learn about different ways that they can reach their online audience, it can be easy to fall behind in today’s touch screen society.