Brian
Stetler, What is Social Media?
By
Jenna Neeley, Section 001
PROVO – Speaking to
undergraduate communications students, a New York Times journalist announced an
override of the current news system by media-driven tactics occurring over the
next decade.
Brian Stetler told a Brigham Young
University audience
Wednesday afternoon that social media serves as an “around the clock” approach
to news. “There are now only three types of media journalism: Facebook,
Twitter, and everything else,” Stetler said.
The general publics no longer wait around a television set
for the breaking news, because they are instantaneously updated via Twitter, Instagram,
and Facebook accounts. Even government officials are using social media to
amplify their messages and relay public decisions. New Jersey mayor, Cory Booker, even used his
personal twitter account to reach out to civilians during the Hurricane Sandy
black out of 2012, inviting one stranded woman to his home to use WiFi. “People
feel more connected to their officials when using social media, like they know
them on a personal level” Stetler said.
One BYU student said that the Government’s role is to
represent its people, and if they do not keep up with social trends, they are
missing a majority of their audience. These new message tools allow
correspondence between the reporter and the reader; an instigating step towards
public participation in media news. Stetler said this “empowers the people”,
promoting a more active and aware democratic union.
Reporters and journalists also use tweets and texts as raw
material for headliners. Although time-efficient, Stetler noted that these
mediums are only complementary to old-fashioned reporting and investigating.
They can improve an article, but not completely compile it.
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