The book Mobile and Social Media Journalism: A Practical Guide for Multimedia Journalism by Anthony Adornato, is an approach to journalism that examines the complex nuances of the journalism world in the 2020s as it relates to Mobile and Social Journalism. As Adornato explains in the book, journalism has since evolved from a traditional form of communication where the news was distributed by one entity to a larger audience, a one-way communication format, and passive audiences into a new form of communication that has altered the entire news world all because of the devices and social media that we use every day. Social Media has now created more widespread access, active audiences, and interactivity which have greatly altered the news landscape. Adornato explains that with the new presence of social media, journalism has since become a conversation, rather than a lecture. What Adornato is saying here is that audiences can now engage with journalism at the tips of their fingers, and conversate in a public forum whereas with the traditional form of communication, audiences lack access to public discourse. Therefore, Adornato explains two things news has become: News is social meaning news has now become the subject of our online social interactions. And secondly, News is mobile meaning more news stories are being curated for mobile users to view news.
There are some positives and negatives to open public discourse where anyone can publish and distribute information. Some positives are bringing light to unspoken issues, bringing new perspectives, and allowing the public to comment on us as journalists. However, there are negatives to this form of communication, mainly the spread of misinformation. This is the risk of having an active audience, one where anyone can publish anything. News consumers’ habits have largely changed in the presence of social media, mainly because there is a large number of younger audiences that prefer to have their news on numerous social media formats and different formats like TikToks, podcasts, tweets, and more according to this Oxford study. The study shows that young audiences now consume more news on social media than on news websites. The study also describes a growing distrust and lack of loyalty to news outlets in a time of mass misinformation. Journalists need to learn how to engage with their audience by creating multiple formats in which their audiences can engage. It is important that journalists know how to utilize social media to its fullest extent.
Social media today is impacting journalists today in three ways: newsgathering, distribution of news, and audience engagement. In my time as a journalist, I have had experiences with each of these categories. I use social media to newsgathering ideas for my stories by examining things like Facebook groups and other online forums. I use my social media to distribute not only the news articles I write but also the news stories I read and find useful to the public. Lastly, I engage with my audiences in the comment sections of my social media posts and try to engage with people about the stories I write as best I can.
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