Social media as a news platform

Traditional media in the social media revolution

Broadcast and print media have traditionally been known as dominant sources for news, mostly due to their perceived credibility. A new element comes into play with the growth of the Internet surpassing that of television (Sagan & Leighto, 2010:119). It has been found that 24% of South Africans are active social media users, where the average time spent on social media is 2 hours 43 minutes daily¹. As a result of this exponential increase, the consumption of news today has evolved exceedingly. Although television, newspaper, and radio are still relevant, social media is changing the way we consume news. The 2016 Global Ogilvy Media Influence Survey showed the growing importance of new platforms where consumers are increasingly reading news on mobile applications and social media platforms². In a second study, by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ), it was found that, across 26 countries, 51% of the sample use social media as a news source (Newman, Fletcher Levy & Nielsen, 2016:8).

Before social media, the audience played a bystander role in news consumption, however, a new world has opened up, allowing personalisation and participation (Saffo, 2005). People are able to assist in capturing, writing, and sharing news over social media platforms, allowing the reader to take control, challenging the traditional concept of ‘one-way news’ (Sagan & Leighto, 2010:119). It has been suggested that “people use online social tools to gather information, share stories, and discuss concerns” (Fox, 2011:5). Unique to the Internet, its pervasiveness and accessibility introduces an immediacy of information which accelerates the pace of news (Sagan & Leighto, 2010:119). The growth of the Internet is undeniable, showing no signs of slowing down. This raises concerns for journalists and traditional forms of media to provide audiences with the news that they want, when and how they want it^3. 

The transformation of social media

Through the rise of social media, “we are witnessing the emergence of powerful new voices and networks which can act independently of the traditional media. Highly networked individuals (helped by new platforms like social networking and messaging) can move across, undermine, and go beyond the boundaries of existing institutions,” (Newman, 2009). A recent survey, conducted by Pew Research Centre, indicated that 62% of adults in the USA receive news on social media and 18% do so often (Gottfried & Shearer, 2016:2). With the USA as an influential first-world country, the study illustrates what South Africa can expect in future. The evident media shift presents the news industry with opportunities and challenges, where social media has become a significant communication and news-breaking tool (Alejandro, 2010:10). What many media academics and practitioners are calling a ‘crisis in journalism,’ has resulted in changing practices in many related industries (Macnamara, 2014:2). Journalists leverage these social platforms as news aggregators to assist with their work in an attempt to stay ahead with audience demands (Alejandro, 2010:42; Sagan & Leighto, 2010:119). “Social media has gone from being a channel that distributes the news, to one that informs it, with 50% of surveyed journalists saying that they use social media as a source for the stories they will cover².” With the news industry transforming, journalists are presented with an opportunity to respond to social, cultural, and technological changes (Alejandro, 2010:42). A Social Sensor research project found that the top 5 functions of social media for journalists were: [1] predicting or alerting breaking news; [2] verifying social media content; [3] listening/following high quality profiles to identify relevant stories; [4] tracking trends; and [5] easily distributing content (Schifferes, Newman, Thurman, Corney, Göker, & Martin, 2014:5). 

Social media is not without its faults, as many question the reliability of information and accredit poor quality to the growing ‘cult of the amateur’ (Keen, 2007). Social media is renowned for its speed and relevance, but not necessarily for its accuracy³. It has been said that via social media, misinformation is spread as facts become lost in the shuffle of competing information, limited attention, or both⁴. It was found that the main reason for individuals not using social media as a source for news lies in the lack of credibility of articles, as many are not written by qualified journalists or reviewed by a reputable authority (Behesht-Kashi & Makki, 2013:100-104). The role of traditional media remains relevant due to the accompanied perception of credibility³. It was highlighted in the 2016 Global Ogilvy Media Influence Survey that traditional media channels are the most trusted and that credibility is attributed to the media outlet. “People still want value and identify with traditional news brands⁵.” It can be deduced that this perception is owing to reputations built over time, as the original source of an article on social media is often unknown (Newman, et al., 2016:9). “Stories covered in traditional media outlets [are] seen as more influential, underlining the importance of traditional media relations for making brands matter².”

Concluding remarks

It has been argued that the traditional news industry is ‘rapidly losing control,’ resulting from the impact of social media⁶. Juan Senor, partner at Innovation Media, argues traditional media will continue to prevail: “No medium has ever replaced another medium. It [has] not happened and it’s never going to happen⁷.” He further comments that in order to remain competitive, a ‘mediamorphosis’ is inevitable to adapt to the thriving digital age⁸. This process of change within the news industry is still underway, and could result in output moving increasingly, if not exclusively, towards digital platforms (Schlesinger & Doyle, 2014:12). It can be deduced that the increase in use of social media creates opportunities for traditional news platforms.

Social media sites aim to connect people and is evidently fulfilling this aim. The platform is provided for users to collaborate and work together to create and distribute content (O’Reilly & Battelle, 2009). Media organisations no longer have a monopoly on journalism, resulting in changing power structures and competition (Alejandro, 2010:12). All media platforms act as a megaphone for individuals, organisations, and traditional media (Macnamara, 2014:2), with social media becoming “a public space for coordination, mobilisation, education, charity fundraising and doing business as well” (Alejandro, 2010:41). 

It is clear that the way people consume news has transformed due to the changing media landscape, the new role of the user, and the shift in power dynamics within the industry (Sagan & Leighto, 2010:119). The growing role of social media as a news platform, as well as its referral to mass media, indicates the increasing interconnectedness and interrelatedness of the platforms (Macnamara, 2014:7). Social media inevitably challenges traditional news platforms. It should, however, not be viewed as a threat to the industry, but rather seen as a complementary platform aiding journalists and providing users with different viewpoints.

⁴Gugu Louri. http://techfinancials.co.za/2016/07/how-social-media-can-distort-and-misinform-when-communicating-science/. Published on: 01/07/2016.