New media culture trends have demanded a change in perspective in journalism and a shift towards a network approach. At the heart of this transition is social media. Despite research showing that social media is the least trusted source of news in the world, the data clearly indicate that it has become the primary platform for news distribution and consumption worldwide. As the logic of social media has replaced the logic of mass media, it has become necessary to adapt the mechanisms of news production and dissemination to the new media environment. This adaptation has a major impact on journalists’ daily work including ways of gathering and distributing news as well as engaging with audiences.
In the news gathering process, social media can be used as a tips line when looking for story ideas, as a source for a story that journalists are working on, or even as content when looking for information for a story. User generated content and crowdsourced information collected on social networks are valued inputs to journalistic work today, while social listening (monitoring social media to discover what’s being talked about by citizens or public officials) is a way to monitor conversations in real time about a current story. Production of news content often draws on the possibilities of social media, for example on ephemeral stories or live streaming, making ephemerality even more central to news consumption. Social media news production also encourages the creation of entertaining, multimedia, and experience-based content. Distribution of news in the mobile and social media world requires journalists to share on multiple platforms as they report from the field. Social media journalists are also expected to provide real-time updates on stories by adapting storytelling to the “language” of each platform. In their day-to-day work, they use mobile devices to capture, produce, and publish content.
Audience engagement is not separated from the newsgathering process and the distribution of news; they often happen at the same time. An effective engagement with the audience includes consistent and authentic interactions because news on social media is a conversation, rather than a lecture. When dealing with the public, an informal yet professional tone, openness, and responsiveness to audience feedback are expected. Thus, social networks have become effective channels for news media to provide information, find sources and story ideas, promote content, drive traffic to websites, and reach, interact and engage with audiences. Although social networking sites are important access points to news for all age groups, they are a particularly popular way for young people to get news. Young people use a variety of platforms and media to interact with the news, which together form a news ecosystem that is mostly managed through apps on mobile devices. Social media also offers them the opportunity to manage and edit their own unique news experiences, providing a wide range of perspectives from professionals to lay people, and allowing direct interaction with the news.
