I found the article How social media is reshaping news by Monica Anderson and Andrea Caumont to be very interesting because it’s something that I have not only noticed, but can relate to. Twitter has slowly become my favorite social network to use over the past few years as Facebook now primarily appeals to an older demographic. I first created a Twitter account back in 2011 to keep up with my favorite celebrities, but have found it a useful tool for keeping up with my friends as well as news.
Last summer, I did an internship at WBTV in Charlotte and was blown away at how big an impact social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter had on the news. Anchors and reporters were constantly posting story updates and teases to promote their own stories as well as bring new traffic and viewers to their online presence.
The article states that half of social network users have shared stories, images, and videos, and nearly as many people have done so to discuss a news event. I find myself getting almost all of my news from Twitter accounts I follow or from tweets that people I follow will favorite or retweet. I think the main draw to this is the fact that users can read a brief headline about a story, and if they are interested, they can click the link and be redirected to a website with the full story.
This is without a doubt the future of news as it allows for user interaction in terms of comments and sharing, and lets news outlets reach a wide audience at any time. The article referenced above can be found at http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-reshaping-news/
