Social Media: The New Newspapers

Posted on by Margaret Bridge

I can’t remember the last time I picked up a newspaper to see what was going on in the world. Today, I get most of my news on social media, and statistics show I’m not alone. By following accounts that share news that is relevant and interesting to me, I feel informed and connected to the world just by looking at my phone.

Social media allows me to tailor my timelines so that I can get a mix of world news, local news, entertainment news and industry news. Social networks, Twitter and Facebook especially, let me easily share news stories with my friends. It is the most convenient way to not only read news today, but also to discuss it and share opinions with others.

The ability to customize is why I love social media. For example, this weekend I was reading national stories about the election when a tweet popped up announcing Syracuse’s Juice Jam lineup (after which I immediately screamed and shared with my followers).

Clearly, Twitter has become the quickest way for reporters and organizations to break news stories. However, it also has a timeless quality. Today, on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, my timeline was flooded with posts remembering the events on that day.

By using video, links and photos, social media allows users to retell old news stories in an engaging way.

Social media makes me want to read the news. It makes it easy for me to get information, share it with others and connect with people who share my interests. That’s why I use it and love it.

2 thoughts on “Social Media: The New Newspapers”

  1. I totally agree, Margaret, I haven’t picked up a newspaper in years. Social networks are by far the easiest way to get the news these days. What you said about social media allowing us to discuss and share opinions surrounding the news is definitely something new that social media brings to the mix. It would be interesting to take a look at how this has affected news collection and dispersal. You mentioned that one of the things you enjoy about social media is the ability to tailor your newsfeed to what appeals to you. That’s probably one of the driving forces behind most social networks. Do you think there are any downsides to this “filtering” of news, in how it blocks out things that may be useful to us? I know its one of the features of social networks that appeals the most to me, but sometimes I get the feeling that I may be putting myself in a bit of a social media bubble. I really dig what you said about social media allowing “users to retell old news stories in an engaging way.” That’s something I’d never thought about before, but is definitely true with all the Thursday Throwbacking going on.

  2. Hi Margaret! I loved reading your post, it really resonated with me. Like you, I get most of my news from social media. However, my news source is not Twitter but Facebook. Instead scrolling my Twitter timeline looking at tweets posted by news outlets, I look at the trending stories on Facebook. No matter which social media outlet we get the news from, we live in a world where we can easily get the information this allows us to stay up to date with the world around us!

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