Social Media and the News

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Course: CAN290 – We Interrupt This Program
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Due Date: November 27, 2024
Social Media and News

Social media has transformed the way of distributing and receiving news, which is faster, more

accessible, and interactive. On the other side, Immediate communication on Facebook, Twitter,

and Instagram has resulted in the same battle against misinformation and increased lower

journalism standards. This essay examines three positive and three negative influences of social

media on the delivery of news, based on fact-based evidence and peer-reviewed sources.

Positive Impacts

1. Instant access, global reach.

This brings news into the near-real-time, thus keeping subscribers all over the world aware of

immediate events. Unlike mainstream media, which operate according to schedules, social media

is always working. In situations of crisis or major events, people, for example, go to Twitter to

find news breaks. "Seventy-one percent of U.S. adults used social media to access news in

2021," states Pew Research Center (Shearer).

Furthermore, social platforms reduce the barriers to consuming news, as both global and local

information is available to people regardless of their location or income.

2. Citizen Journalism

All of these, created together, enable individuals to become citizen journalists by providing first-

hand accounts of what has happened. The most obvious case was during the Arab Spring, when

Twitter and Facebook documented protests and state crackdowns around the countries involved

in the uprisings: this would have been censored or reinforced by mainstream media outlets.
Citizen journalism provides insight into the disparities between the mainstream media by

providing insight into underreported issues (Howard and Hussain). In news stories related to

natural disasters or public unrest, eye-witness reports in real time often appear to be more

effective than the work of professional journalists.

3. Amplification of Different Voices

Social media provided voices to many whose messages would not have been viewed

traditionally. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter spread through Twitter, and with it the message of

racial inequality for cries to seek justice against police brutality reached an audience broader than

ever before in history (Ince et al). On the other hand, indigenous communities, activists, and

marginalized groups voice their concerns through social media on various issues and shape

public opinion. This pluralism in news representation allows different perspectives to be

represented and acknowledged.

Negative Impacts

1. Spread of False Information and Fake News

One of the major downfalls regarding social media is its rise in misinformation. Fake news

travels faster than actual news because of sensationalism and clickbait. In the COVID-19

pandemic, false news about vaccines being connected to infertility originated on platforms like

Facebook, creating confusion and hesitancy to take the jabs (Evans and Hargittai). Social media

algorithms rank content as more engaging, hence giving it a higher rank that can therefore make

more unverified or false information unbeknownst to many users. This undermines public trust in

news and perpetuates misinformation crises.

These algorithms on social media create echo chambers through the compilation of content in

support of the user's preferences. The result of this is that users are exposed to information that

supports their views. This also reduces exposure to other points of view and reduces biases. In

the 2016 U.S. presidential election, for instance, targeted misinformation campaigns sought to

exploit the 'echo chambers' and solidify political divides (Allcott and Gentzkow). The more

polarized opinions become, the more difficult it is to have constructive dialogue and build

consensus.

3. Quality of Journalism Degrades

Breaking news on social media is always piled up with inaccuracies and sensationalism. For the

sake of speed, the traditional journalistic etiquette, such as fact-checking, usually gets skipped,

and the verification from several sources too. A study by Reuters Institute estimated that 59% of

journalists think social media has ruined the quality of journalism by making reporting shallow

and click baiting (Newman et al.). This degradation in the standards of journalism decreases

people's faith in both the social and traditional mediums of communication.

Conclusion

Social media is revolutionizing the delivery of news and enabling it to be more accessible and

accessible to an international audience. It provides real-time updates but amplify diverse voices

and empowers citizen journalism. However, these benefits are at a disadvantage with huge

challenges, such as the dissemination of misinformation, the creation of echo chambers, and the

loss of journalism standards. Such issues, however, require greater regulation, critical thinking

by consumers, and ethical behavior on platforms and news providers. Social media can be a
positive and positive platform for news dissemination if its use advantages are balanced with

efforts to overcome its flaws.

References
 Allcott, Hunt, and Matthew Gentzkow. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016

Election." Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 31, no. 2, 2017, pp. 211-236.

 Evans, Sandra, and Eszter Hargittai. "Social Media and Vaccine Hesitancy During the

COVID-19 Pandemic." Health Communication, vol. 36, no. 1, 2021, pp. 27-35.

 Howard, Philip N., and Muzammil M. Hussain. "The Role of Digital Media." Journal of

Democracy, vol. 22, no. 3, 2011, pp. 35-48.

 Ince, Jelani, et al. "#BlackLivesMatter: The Evolution of a Social Media Movement."

Social Media + Society, vol. 3, no. 2, 2017, pp. 1-9.

 Newman, Nic, et al. "Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2021."

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2021.

 Pew Research Center. "Social Media as a News Source." Pew Research Center

Journalism & Media, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org.