It is amazing how rapidly the media is changing. In relation to spreading of information, social media is the best thing since the printing press. It is something anyone can get involved with, unlike TV and radio.
I do believe that it is important for people to become more aware of how the media works. They also need to gain skills in analysing what they read. This is because traditional media outlets have processes in place. In general, these processes ensure that the news is factually correct. Most journalists also follow a code of ethics and are bound by regulations. In contrast, social media does not follow the same rules. While having the positives of promoting freedom of expression, it also means that much that is written is actually opinion rather than fact. We all have to avoid the trap of taking everything at face value.
Unfortunately social media is not reaching everyone. For example, Facebook is banned in China. Facebook are currently in negotiations with the government to start a joint venture that will create an independent site just for China. Google also had a struggle with the Chinese government. Also, people in some developing nations are not able to afford the equipment needed. The infrastructure is also bad. This reminds me of when I had to learn about the digital divide in high school. The class had to look at the possibility of a future where people would be divided in to “have” and “have not”. Hopefully the laptop for every child initiatives will help.
Another group without access to social media would be the elderly. They are having difficulty adjusting. When my grandparents were children their house had no electricity and people were using horse and carts. This was in Western Europe! My Grandma will never own a computer.
Finally, I found Wikipedia’s social media aspect quite interesting. It would not normally be associated with Facebook and Twitter, but the articles are put there by anyone creates an account with them. One person might write the basics of an article, and then another person can add extra info. During the Japanese earthquakes earlier this year, there was already a page about the earthquake and it was constantly changing throughout the day. Even the “most deadly earthquakes” article was updated to reflect changes to the death toll. This makes Wikipedia a community based news service, using real people.
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