Social Media

Socialnomics.net is a website dedicated to the social media revolution and its effects on our society. Things that used to be personal have become public, and things we wish we could forget, everyone and their mother seems to remember. Our past is now our present, and there seems to be nothing we can do about it; once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever. As we dive deeper into the world of social media, we become aware of the dangers involved in this type of media and how it is effecting our culture.

What is the real issue here? Social media is a choice, after all, so what’s the big deal? Surely we can trust people to use common sense: no one would be foolish enough to post pictures of them drinking alcohol if they’re underage, and they certainly wouldn’t post obscenities on their status a few days before a job interview! Of course no one would do that; that’s just dumb. And yet day after day, week after week, we see thousands upon thousands of people making these mistakes.

The real issue here is privacy. People often don’t understand that when you post something online, it is no longer private; it becomes public. Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of the internet. If you want to keep something to yourself, do not post it online. Regardless of how unpublicized or hidden it may be, it will be found. And even if it isn’t found for a while, it is still out there. 

Social media is everywhere in our culture; if Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest and twice the size of the U.S. population (www.socialnomics.net). Pause for a moment and let that sink in. Russia, Canada, and Facebook? How does that sound for our new geography lesson? The population of the U.S. is approximately 312 million, and Facebook is double that! If these numbers aren’t registering to you, think about this: Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S. Hopefully, this is just as shocking to you as it is to me, because this is huge. 

So what do we do about this issue? How do we respond appropriately in order to further educate people and help them truly grasp how serious this can be? Classes in social media and mass media are extremely helpful in educating people about the seriousness of this issue. If someone can get involved hands-on and really investigate the issue of privacy in social media, he or she is more likely to have a better understanding of the topic and actually respond and do something about it! Educating people about the dangers of social media is the best way to encourage a better understanding and proper reaction to this issue. If people can grasp the depth of the situation, then perhaps they will learn to respond in the appropriate manner. 

Ethics: What Comes Up Must Come Down

Today in class, we talked about journalism, and specifically what the difference between journalism and news media is. Whether you realize it or not, journalism and news media are two very different things: journalism is conducted by journalists (and reporters) who gather information from various sources, whereas news media is the actual broadcasting or coverage of an event or "news."

To really delve into the importances in this distinction and how it affects our lives, let's start with news. What is news? As I was writing this blog, I did a generic google images search using the word "news" and was humored to see a Facebook logo come up as one of the results! How funny to think that today's "news" is often conveyed through social media just as frequently as it is the news media. Before I get too of topic, let's revisit the topic of "news." News is defined as, "A report of a recent event; intelligence; information." In short, news fulfills our need to know. We live in a culture that is moving at a million miles an hour, and news simply fulfills our need to keep up with our society as it continues to shape and change the way we live.

Now that we've discussed the topic of "news," let's dig deeper into the distinction between journalism and news media. Journalism is defined as, "The occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business." Journalism is the dirty work. As Dr. Wilson said, journalists focus on serving and educating the people. Their purpose of writing and reporting is to serve the public, not to make a quick buck. News media on the other hand is consumer focused. Whatever is going to bring in more revenue is more than likely what is going to actually reach the public.



The video above deals with the ethical issues we see in today's media. Are tabloids true journalism? If so, they definitely aren't following the journalism code of ethics. What stories are really necessary to be reported? Most importantly, what is "good" media and what is "bad" media? All of these questions are one that we struggle with each and every day, even as consumers, as we absorb news stories with every turn. Whether we realize it or not, when we buy a tabloid, we are breaking down the media ethics more and more as we encourage these news companies to continue to do such reports! As consumers, we actually have more control over what's reported than a lot of the journalists themselves!

So, what now? How do we, as consumers, shape the media? There is always going to be a tug and pull between the media companies and the consumers; the companies publish what they believe the consumers will like, and the consumers respond. In the truest form of supply and demand, if we did not buy those tabloids, the companies would cease supplying them. It is up to the consumers to stand up and transform the news media. Without such a stand, the news media will continue to veer further and further off the course, soon losing sight of ethics all together.

Media Convergence

When researching top media companies, one would expect to see Walt Disney and Viacom. One company you might not expect to see; however, is AOL Time Warner. AOL Time Warner is run by CEO Jeffrey Bewkes. Founded in 1990, Time Warner is one of the top media companies in the world. Besides owning Warner Bros, Time Warner also owns twenty-four different book labels, Time Magazine, and even CNN. Time Warner's subsidiary companies are countless, and the company as a whole brings in a revenue of approximately $31.8 billion. Clearly, Time Warner is a dominate force in media. The real question is: Is this for the good of the bad of the people involved?

Does media convergence truly mean "info heaven"?

There are upsides and downsides to media convergence. One of the downsides is that when a company becomes so large and powerful, there is a high risk of unethical political and economic influence. Capitalism is what our nation was founded on, but if a company creates an economic monopoly, it will wreak havoc. If a country becomes entirely dependent upon one company in particular, that company is able to virtually control the entire economy just by raising or lowering its prices. Think about the simple concept of supply and demand; if this company is essential to everyday life, the demand will be unstoppable, and so will the company.

Are we controlling the media or are
the media controlling us?

Yet there are also advantages to media convergence. Communication in the 21st century is vital; we pass information from source to source faster than some people can say, "Fiddlesticks." From Facebook, to Tumblr, to Twitter, we are constantly receiving and reacting to the information around us. Because of media convergence, technological communication has become part of everyday life. If companies were being constantly hindered because they were unable to become "too powerful," who knows if we would even have things such as iPhones and Kindles right now? Media convergence has drastically sped up the communication process.

Overall, media convergence is a part of life. Good companies become great companies, and small companies become big companies. In scientific fashion, it is truly the survival of the fittest. What your company does to survive today will determine how people interact tomorrow.

Information Overload

As I am typing this, I am on the internet. Not only am I on the internet, but I'm on several different windows. My iTunes is currently playing Jesus Culture, my Amazon account is tracking my latest order, and of course my Facebook is open for any spur-of-the-moment creeping. It's amazing how many things I can do at once when I am linked to a computer screen; the opportunities are truly endless. This is the digital age that I was born and raised in!

Growing up in the 1990's, technology was constantly changing and becoming more necessary in everyday tasks. I still remember when my parents got their first cell phones; I was 10. Just four years later, I got my first cell phone. If that tells you anything, it should be that technology moves faster than we ever expected. As technology continues to move at the speed of light, media becomes more and more prominent in our lives. Whereas we used to read the newspaper to catch up on current events, we now open our web browser to Yahoo! and glance over a couple of headlines to fulfill our information fix. Just a few clicks of a track pad and we are bombarded with more information than the entire newspapers from the past week could provide.

Historically, the Industrial Age is long gone. However, take a look at our society over the past 50 years and you will see that there has still been a substantial amount of change regarding how information is passed from source to source. I remember watching re-runs of Leave It To Beaver, which premiered in 1957, and seeing Mr. Cleaver sit down and read the newspaper. This was commonplace in the Cleaver household, and in almost every American household at the time of the airing. Moving to today, we see a drastic change in the way that information is shared. As I mentioned earlier, news stories have begun to be shared much more commonly over the internet instead of newspapers or televisions, even. Who really has time to sit down and watch the news for an hour each night? At least in my family, it is very uncommon.

Individuals are presented with so much more information today than they were in the past, and their ability to read and respond to this information is incredible. Whether it be through Twitter, Facebook, or Blogger, anyone and everyone can voice their opinion. Whereas we might have been passive consumers in the past, we are now active participants in every news story that we read simply because of a "hit" count. As media becomes more accessible, people become more involved. With just the click of a button, news stories from years ago can be found. Although this digital age can be overwhelming, it can also be beneficial. People who used to not be engaged are now intently participating in the media that is presented to them. The digital age that we are in is encouraging our generation to step off the sidelines and onto the field. Play ball.