The news media landscape is changing rapidly. Mobile and Social Journalism is becoming all the more relevant in the age of social media, effectively requiring newer and older journalists to develop skills in social media. Anthony Adornato, in his book Mobile and Social Journalism, explains that new employers now look for keywords that describe an ability to create mobile and social journalism. Newsrooms want journalists to create their stories in a way that drives their viewing rates and audiences up, to create a bigger emphasis on engagement with our news stories. It is important that we as journalists create our brands across numerous different platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to broaden our reach of engagement with our news stories.
What was once considered to be maybe a more exciting desk job, has now become a constant 24/7 competition for engagement and clicks through the very devices we carry around in our pockets. Instead of a newsroom being exclusive to an office building they are now on the open forum of the internet, bringing vast new changes to the way we report on news. This new form of journalism incorporates many aspects of social media culture, such as trends, sounds, and more to create more engaging stories. There is also a time component that we as journalists must keep in mind when doing mobile social journalism. Videos and digital print must catch the attention of our viewers quickly and in a timely manner. We must consider that if our stories are not immediately attention-grabbing, we might lose some of our engagement. We must create more accessible stories to make sure important information is delivered in an effective and productive manner.
This change into a more mobile world has in my opinion changed for the better, that is if we keep vigilant of our practice. Journalism has been in real danger since the mid-2000s, with print declining in sales and numerous publications going out of business. Now, publications have been afforded the opportunity to have another go at journalism, in a completely new way. People who use various social media apps tend to be younger, and as journalists in a new news landscape, it’s important that we reach those audiences. I hope that the newsroom continues to adapt to mobile social journalism and find new ways to reach audiences that not only intrigue and entertain, but to inform.
This is Mike, signing off.
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