Opinion - (2022) Volume 12, Issue 2
Received: 02-Feb-2022, Manuscript No. jmcj-22-58393;
Editor assigned: 07-Feb-2022, Pre QC No. P-58393;
Reviewed: 15-Feb-2022, QC No. Q-58393;
Revised: 21-Feb-2022, Manuscript No. R-58393;
Published:
28-Feb-2022
, DOI: 10.37421/2165-7912.22.12.449
Citation: Mathew, Daniel. "The Role of Social Media in Journalism." J Mass Communicat Journalism 12 (2022): 449. DOI: 10.37421/2165-7912.22.12.449
Copyright: © 2022 Mathew D. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The modern technique of gathering, generating, distributing, and developing news and information is through social media journalism. As the name implies, social media plays a key role in this type of journalism, which is faster and more responsive than traditional journalism but erroneous and frequently based on popular opinion rather than facts and truth. As a result, social media journalism encompasses a wide range of web-based applications, technology, and platforms that are used by journalists, agencies, and even unemployed and unprofessional bloggers, writers, and others to create content on a variety of topics and share it on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The age of social media is rapidly expanding. We can have fast access to the news on our phones, and we frequently receive notifications within minutes of an incident occurring, giving us the lowdown on the current news. The need for physical copies of newspapers is dwindling as news becomes more freely available through our phones and other electronic devices [1].
How do we access the news?
The major purpose of newspapers and periodicals in today's generation of children and teenagers is to be used in art class to make 'papier-mâché,' and reading from our devices is becoming the new normal. People no longer want to pay for newspaper subscriptions when they can obtain them for free online; therefore the traditional schoolboy employment of 'paper boy' is gradually disappearing. Big newspaper and magazine companies, such as 'The Sunday Times,' 'The Sun,' and 'The Daily Mail,' have had to adapt to this change and now offer all of their news stories and articles for free online; most media outlets now have social media accounts, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, in order to reach a larger audience [2].
The role of social media
Social media has taken over society and is becoming increasingly vital if you want to stay informed about current events. Many journalists now write stories about what happens on social media; for example, "Boris Johnson tells COVID deniers to 'grow up,' and NHS boss Sir Simon Stevens slams their 'lies' about hospitals being empty — saying the 'nonsense' could KILL people and 'nothing is more demoralising' to medics," according to "The Daily Mail." The article examines people's "ignorance" about COVID restrictions, and how their behaviours on social media may have an impact on how individuals obey government requirements. People who spread 'Fake News' can harm journalism by casting doubt on the validity of a journalist's work. People are exposed to fake news, such as UK hospital beds being unfilled, and are unclear what articles to believe on social media.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, utilises his personal Twitter account to disseminate breaking news. Due to his deceptive remarks, the President's Twitter account was just disabled indefinitely. Fortunately for Donald Trump, he cannot be fined for his false charges and claims because Twitter is a forum where people may express their own thoughts on issues: nonetheless, Trump's continuous 'Twitter Rants' have resulted in his permanent removal from the site [3].
The effect of ‘Fake News’ on online Journalism
The news we are exposed to today might be extremely biased towards particular persons and groups; for example, Donald Trump tweeted after the American election, "I Won the Election," before being banned. Twitter had to intervene and place a disclaimer underneath the message, informing readers that the claim was false. If you only read news from social media platforms, you may be getting inaccurate information, as social media is a platform that encourages freedom of speech and accepts all viewpoints.
The freedom to manufacture 'Fake News' on various social media platforms without facing legal consequences makes the news we read untrustworthy. All social media news should be treated with a grain of salt, as shown on Trump's Twitter, where facts may be overstated. According to the Pew Research Center, 45 percent of Americans get their news from social media channels like Facebook, and half of these users only get their news from Facebook [4].
How has this impacted Journalism?
Journalism has changed over time and will continue to do so. Journalists have had to adjust to the fast-paced world of gadgets and social media, but how has this affected conventional journalism? Journalists no longer have to write lengthy stories; instead, they can emphasise the main details of a storey in a tweet, Instagram post, or Facebook post. The art of storytelling is no longer necessary; readers want a quick read as they go about their day; people rarely sit down and read an entire newspaper; the reader wants to read something specific without having to flip through eight or so pages, and social media allows them to read a storey in minutes, if not seconds [5].
Although social media has had a negative impact on journalism, it has also brought about some positive improvements for journalists. Because journalists have unrestricted access to research and can discover connections that might not have been made otherwise, the constant buzz of information on social media makes it a breeding ground for news. Twitter is a highly successful way of spreading 'Breaking News' stories, with over 6,000 tweets sent every second. However, it shortens the life span of news items, making them less relevant until a writer has developed a storey from them.
Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism received 205 citations as per Google Scholar report
