Getting news from social media is becoming a true awakening
News spread towards me in a variety of ways. I work in television broadcasting, so I see firsthand breaking news and news alerts regularly through mainstream media. In big family gatherings, we tend to have face-to-face conversations and watch mainstream media together on local news, sports, and trending topics. I’m kind of old fashion when it comes to gathering information through a TV device. NBC’s Nightly News and the evening local news are my go-to resources for reliable and trusted information.
With technology on the rise and quick access to news on smartphones, I would say most of my news comes from social media. On Facebook alone, the newsfeed informs me on what’s trending and current activities. I follow certain news outlets, local sports teams, and local radio station pages because we share the same voice in particular topics and news. When dealing with critical news, I feel I follow credible sources through Facebook and other social networks to relate accurate information. These same sources help fill my leisure time with entertaining and relatable information. Friends on social media help too. They also share the same interest and usually share posts, links, and articles that may grab my interest. I’ve been on Facebook since the company started, so I feel a sense of belonging towards them. Their newsfeed feature also helps me grasp friends’ reactions towards specific topics.
I rely on Reddit, which is considered social media, to get in-depth news information on trendy and important topics. Reddit is deemed social media and focuses not on people but communities (i.e., subreddits). It is a platform with social media elements because of its anonymous members, making it more friendly and easy to use. I tend to use their phone app more with a customized newsfeed on relatable topics for me. I typically share interesting posts and articles from this app through face-to-face conversations and on all my social networks.
Relating to mass communication, the diffusion of innovation theory examines how the social participants accept the latest innovative ideas and how they have made the decision. The diffusion process involves both mass media and social communication networks. I believe in order to be relevant in conversation within social groups and the workplace, you have to up to date with current affairs, trending topics, and politics. In a pew research study, about 55% of U.S. adults now get their news from social media. My primary source for gathering news is through social media. Along with being on Reddit, I’m on multiple social networks and follow people and groups that I believe share the same voice and interests as me. For work-related purposes, along with local and national news, I use mainstream media daily. Face-to-face encounters are uncommon for me in gathering critical news but typically done in large family gatherings.
Where do you find yourself gathering more news from?
