subject: The Social Media Revolution Facts [print this page] The Social Media Revolution Facts The Social Media Revolution Facts
Have you posted a Tweet today? What about Facebook? Have you friended anybody today? Have you read a blog, fact checked and updated an article on Wikipedia?
Congratulations, you are a member of the social media. The social media is basically the culture created within the internet that allows anyone with an internet connection to become an official expert on the topic of his choice.
Whether it is blogging about Hollywood, raging about politics or providing your all opinion based take on any topic you choose, this has become the new news.
Is What Your Reading Credible!
The major media new outlets are now taking news' from some anonymous, some non-credentialed internet sources', and are reporting it as validated news. Basically, our world is becoming a if you read it on the internet it must be true'.
There is nothing wrong with a media outlet using multiple sources. All news does not have to come directly out of Journalism 101.
However, the business of information suffers when these sources MIGHT be persons actually in the know, or they MIGHT be persons with a particular ax to grind, prejudice to perpetuate or just plain ignorant of their chosen topic.
Thoughts Without Thinking!
The so-called social media revolution has also created an environment where critical thinking and thorough discussion is not longer wanted or needed. Anyone who has ever Tweeted on Twitter knows this. Other social sites also encourage this type of verbal diarrhea.
Whatever random thought that comes into the brain must immediately be spewed out, regardless of interest, accuracy or relevance. Even our government officials, people not known for their love of brevity, have gotten on the random thought spewing bandwagon.
At the 2009 State of the Union address, as President Obama spoke numerous congress-people tweeted their random musings from the floor of the senate. This type of immediacy can be attractive, but leaves no room for contemplation, for sophistication of thought.
Freedoms of Speech
The social media revolution gives more freedoms of speaking and being heard. People of all ages and creeds and races are being encouraged to communicate, and everyone has a voice.
When these voices are kept in perspective that can be a good thing. When, however, a sardonic blog post is taken as fact and repeated over and over, this serves no purpose. Any time opinions are turned into fact by virtue of repetition it is a bad thing.
Content at Your Fingertips
There is really no limit to how and where John and Jane Public can update their social status. Now most cell phones allow for this, so from the beach, waiting in line for a bathroom, eating dinner with an associate or friend, whatever random bit of news' gets thought up can be immediately posted, no waiting! In fact, some 80 percent of social site users update from their phones.
In today's world of immediate response to, well, everything, the social media revolution facts are these: anyone can get their opinion heard, not everyone can tell a fact from an opinion, and the social media is not going away, nor should it.
The social media is in the business of king making, or king killing. The mainstream media will have an even greater responsibility to verify credibility as this trend continues.
