Do you really think that social networks are replacing traditional media as sources of information? This is a good question indeed, if we think about the major world events that have occurred in the last two years and the relevance that social media had spreading the information of them.
As an example we could mention the revolution in Egypt where social networks are having a huge impact. The protest movements are taking advantage of the power that social media platforms have to connect with the world and to keep them updated of their real situation that are currently living. In my opinion, by following the constant feeds on the social networks I feel that I am more aware and connected. So that sometimes I prefer these platforms than a traditional newspaper.
The Infographic developed by Schools.com also confirms that my way to keep updated with news is being generalised among more people. Although the headlines of a newspaper, most of the times are the same as the ones published on social networks. More than 50% of people find out the latest news through social media channels, rather than traditional media.
Since 2009, traffic to news sites from social networks has increased by 57%. Some very important facts have been internationally debuted via Twitter or Facebook rather than traditional media, such as the uprising in Egypt or the death of Whitney Houston. Online news is immediate and thanks to new technologies is providing us with instant communication and the ability to easily share. However, everybody can report news, that can be good in some ways but not all are reliable sources. In fact, 49,1% of people asserted that have heard breaking news via social media that were false. So then it is a good idea to doublecheck the content we find online.
If you want to know more about how social media is replacing conventional journalism as a new source, here is an interesting Infographic.
Author: Triz, SoMazi’s blog writer
Tags: @mazi, Channels, FACEBOOK, SOCIAL MEDIA, Traditional Media, TWITTER
