Social media is an overwhelming entity on purpose.
The goal of any social media app is to keep users constantly engaged on their mobile devices and in tune with what is happening not only in their own personal social spheres, but also throughout the rest of the world.
A large portion of my time on social media is spent scrolling through posts made by news accounts that I follow, such as the New York Times, ABC News, etc. While I certainly feel informed to a certain extent as I endlessly scroll through content from all these different organizations, I also feel overwhelmed to the point where I sometimes feel as though I’m not learning anything at all.
I am not one to partake in the habit of “doomscrolling,” but with how negative and depressing a lot of news is today, it can sometimes be difficult for me to avoid feeling hopeless as I scroll and read through the news on social media. This is why I often make sure to check in on accounts that I follow that in some way or another spread positivity rather than hate or an overwhelming feeling of doom. One of my largest passions relates to entertainment news, so whenever I feel down after reading a devastating article from the New York Times, I like to switch over to Variety or the Hollywood Reporter to cheer me up a bit with news about some of the things I love most in the world of entertainment.
Social media can be a scary place, but I do believe it has changed the way news is delivered and consumed for the better. For one, the level of interaction that social media has opened between news consumers and journalists is unprecedented and incredible within itself. As Anthony Adornato discusses in his book, "Mobile and Social Media Journalism: A Practical Guide for Multimedia Journalists," the fact that viewers of ABC News can interact with David Muir through something like Twitter during commercial breaks is something that was considered unimaginable a little over a decade ago.
As an active audience, individuals can even take part in the reporting process themselves by taking photos or videos of events to post online or submit to various news entities. Journalists are now able to engage with their audiences in ways that aid them in the stories that they tell.
A recent example of how this has occurred and the important impact that an active audience has is in the case of Darnella Frazier. In 2020, Frazier had filmed George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police. The young woman's video changed the world and served as the spark of the Black Lives Matter movement. Her heroic actions to film the incident rather than stand by and simply allow it to occur earned her a Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious award in the journalism field.
Social media has made the process of news gathering and source searching much more streamlined as well. Journalists can simply post the idea for a story that they are currently working on, and they will receive hundreds of replies with source recommendations and where to take the story further. I’ve used social media as a tool in my own reporting in the past when reaching out to sources on a story-by-story basis.
An example of how I most recently used social media to gauge ideas for upcoming stories is when I posted in hopes of drawing attention to my first blog that I had recently made. At the end of this post, I had told readers to let me know if they have anything in mind that they would like to see me cover this semester. Since then, I have already had multiple people reach out to give me fantastic tips and ideas for the future.
Social media has been an invaluable tool in my work, and I cannot wait to become more skillful on it as I continue to build my own brand as a journalist.
What kind of impact has social media had in your life? Let me know in the comments or email me at findevanmiller@gmail.com
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