Evolution of News Media

The way we stay connected with each other is in part due to how technology has evolved in our society. Technology has changed the way communicators write and receive news personally and professionally. It has provided communicators with an additional resource to capture news and other information effectively and quickly. Technology has also created a more competitive world in which news reporters, journalists, and social media are all competing against each other. Before this digital age, these platforms only had to communicate and worry about other news stations, reporters, newspapers and print media, and other face-to-face solutions. With the change in technology, these communicators are now forced to report their information on social media sites, blogs, and other technological platforms. Therefore, not only has it changed the way news is captures and reported, it changes the realm in which we receive news as a consumer. This infographic provided shows the social medias relationship with the news and how heavily it is used to consume news and other information in today’s society. This info graphic provides a clear picture of the evolution of news media and how social media is currently used to engage audiences locally and globally. 

In order to effectively utilize social media to capture and disseminate news, training is often necessary to ensure that the audience is being captured properly. According to Anderson, “The ever-growing digital native news world now boasts about 5,000 digital news sector jobs, according to our recent calculations, 3,000 of which are at 30 big digital-only news outlets. Many of these digital organizations emphasize the importance of social media in storytelling and engaging their audiences” (Anderson, P.1. 2014). Nearly half of social medias networking sites are used to capture news and other local information which forces communicators to be knowledgeable who to target, how they share, and what the hot trends are in the news today, according to Pews Research Center. Training has recently evolved from print media to understanding how to effectively capture your audience online with the major competitors that are also competing on social space. 

Found at the bottom, is a link to the Pews Research Center post about how social media is reshaping news in our society. This article helps provides back up and additional insight on the importance of news and social media and what can be done to be most effective as a communicator in today’s society.The evolution of news media has changed the way we view and utilize technology and media in our culture. These evolutions do not only challenge the news media but also give us day-to-day challenges in our lives, especially with in the workplace. The next blog will help guide you step-by-step in understanding how work place communication has changed and will continue to evolve as technology continues to change.

Pews Research - Reshaping News

References

Anderson, M. (2014, September 24). How Social Media is Reshaping News. Retrieved August 9, 2015, from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pewresearch.org%2Ffact-tank%2F2014%2F09%2F24%2Fhow-social-media-is-reshaping-news%2F

Morrison, K. (2014, February 20). How Social Media Changed the Way We Consume News. Retrieved August 9, 2015, from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adweek.com%2Fsocialtimes%2Fsocial-media-changed-way-consume-news-infographic%2F144146

Overview: Staying Connected

Throughout our society, there is a heavy importance on how technology, media, and our culture utilize it in our day to day activities. There are different ways that these three diverse cultural steps impact our society which include staying connected, the way we use news media, communication in the workplace, exposure to mass media, our need for instant gratification, and the evolution of technology. Staying connected is a crucial part of how we effectively disseminate messages in today’s society. Technology has grown significantly over the past decade to allow us to be able to stay connected on a more intimate and personal level. Technology has caused the work of modern-day communicators to evolve into a society where stay connecting is crucial in order to create new connections and retain old ones. 

Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are all apart of the advancement of new technology that has allowed us to stay connected and have instant connections. Take a moment to view the info graphic above. This info graphic shows us how influential staying connected with each other truly is. Globally, our society has latched on to these networks to stay connected not only personally but professionally. Our world has molded into a society where being able to communicate instantly is one of the most important aspects of our day-to-day routines. Back in 2010, Nicholas Christakis did a TedTalk to discuss the importance and influence that social media has on our society. Click the TedTalk link below to view the very influential and inspirational video clip. 

This TedTalk talks about how social networks have an impact on our lives in ways that we may not even be aware of. Due to this new technology, technology has influenced the necessary training that is related to our ever day work life. It is important for all communicators to understand how to effectively use each social media tool so they can properly engage in communications. New rules and ethical guidelines have been set along the way to help ensure that training is as effective as possible for communicators who are new to “staying connected”. Below is a linked to the NPR Ethical Guidelines for Social Media. These guidelines are a great tool guide for training on what the do's and donut's are of social networking not only personally but professionally as well. It is always important to uphold an ethical and professional presence when using social media to engage with others. Social media engagement is the most effective and innovated way to stay connected with each other and will continue to be as technology grows. These developments lead into the importance of how the news uses social media and technology to engage with its audience and changes the way we perceive news on a day to day basis.

TedTalks - The Hidden Influence of Social Networks

NPR Ethical Guidelines

References

Christakis, N. (Director). (2010, February 1). The hidden Influences of Social Networks [Video file]. Retrieved August 9, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks

NPR Ethics Handbook. (2015). Retrieved August 9, 2010, from http%3A%2F%2Fethics.npr.org%2Ftag%2Fsocial-media%2F

SCAdigital. (2014, October 25). Social Media Infographic [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/SouthernCrossAustereo/sca-social-media-infographic-september-2014