The Power of Social Media

 From Twitter to Facebook our dominant news organisations now have the tools available to provide us with news on the go straight to our mobile phones. We have social media to thank for this and the technological opportunities which have emerged throughout the last 20 years or so.

 This year Facebook celebrated its 10 year mark, which can be seen as old to some users. I personally haven’t tired of it yet but many have moved on to newer social media such as Instagram and Twitter. Maybe it’s just me, but in this constantly developing world I find it hard to keep up with all the emerging forms of social media and think I prefer to be limited to a few. I struggle to maintain a few ‘older’ accounts, let alone figure out the navigation to the latest trend.

 On both my Twitter and Facebook accounts I, like many others, follow a variety of news organisations. From national and international breaking news, to sites dedicated to fashion journalism, the spectrum of news available could satisfy anyone’s needs. I can sign onto any of my accounts at any time and be faced with the latest up-to-date stories.

 Only today did I log on to my Twitter account and a tweet from The Independent caught my attention. “A new iOS app can teach you how to speak a Game of Thrones language fluently” followed by a link to their online article. Perfect for my inner fan girl!

A new iOS app can teach you how to speak a Game of Thrones language fluently http://t.co/dLbAKih5eX pic.twitter.com/oBVy6RsSJx
— The Independent (@Independent) October 14, 2014

 It is a known fact that Twitter can only provide the user with a tweet under 140 characters, but the ability to insert links to longer articles sees this platform as a success in my opinion. It’s also easy to construct lists of my top journalists and organisations which allow me to quickly scan the tweets for snippets of news and stories that interest me. Perfect for when I’m out and about!

 But it’s not just me who benefits from social media sites and a constant update of news. Social media has also proven to be valuable for the journalists themselves when it comes to sourcing the news, as it allows them to gather a wider variety of material. However, newsgathering is just one of the benefits the BBC listed for the valuable role social media plays in journalism and how it has changed the way newsrooms work.

 Just like how I am keen to receive constant news updates, journalists also want audience engagement to expand their reports and to interact with the public. Without an active audience, social media would be limited as a platform to broadcast content. The use of social media can furthermore be recognised as a dominant tool in today’s society to direct audiences to journalist’s work on websites, TV or even radio so the use of retweeting and comments is vital.

 Andrew Miller, Guardian News & Media CEO, says “Twitter has really helped the Guardian. We’re at the heart of breaking news. Twitter is the fastest way to break news now. So core to what we do and core to what we do on a daily basis.”

With 72% of all internet users now active on social media, we can’t ignore the impact social media has on our day-to-day lives and the benefits it can bring to breaking news and connecting people around us.