How social media dawned a new age for news consumers and heightened responsibilities for journalists

With the dawn of the digital age, news consumers have increasingly turned to social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat for their daily news consumption, kicking more traditional modes of journalism, such as print newspapers and television, to the side.

According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, nearly one-in-five U.S. adults said they get their political news primarily through social media.

For most consumers, smartphones in hand, information is accessible right at their fingertips. As news organizations adapted to the changing times, audience members started consuming more of their news via websites, news apps, such as AP News (my personal go-to), and social media apps that have transformed their digital landscapes to include access to news.

Image from Wix Media

User-generated content

In this digital first world, virtually anyone can create and publish content also known as user-generated content. This allows information to spread quicker, often providing real-time updates as breaking news happens. We saw this on Twitter earlier this year, when video surfaced moments before the Calabasas helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others.

However, this increase in user-generated content also raises the potential for misinformation and fake news to spread. As we saw in the 2016 presidential election, fake websites and accounts were in overdrive on Election Day spreading misinformation and confusing news consumers across digital platforms.

Image from Wix Media

More responsibilities for journalists today

As the landscape of social media has changed the way news consumers interact with and absorb news, it has also changed the way journalists are doing their job. Journalists are now expected to be immersed in the mobile and social world, having an active presence across digital platforms and using the medium for news gathering, distribution of news and audience engagement, according to Mobile and Social Media Journalism: A Practical Guide by Anthony Adornato.

As the audience has taken a more active role in the news cycle, journalists are expected to engage with their audience in real time, showing more behind the scenes footage of the reporting process and oftentimes, their personal lives. While this allows for more intimate interactions to occur, it can also be invasive and emotionally draining for some journalists.

In addition, a recent study by Pew Research Center, shows that about half (53%) of Americans believe it’s the news media’s responsibility to reduce made-up news.

While this digital first approach is offering quicker, more accessible news coverage for consumers, it’s also heightening the expectations and responsibilities of journalists across all organizations.