New Media and Social Media
The line between new media and social media is blurred, thus allowing for further exploration, discussion, and interpretation. The definition of both concepts is also open to interpretation as no universal definition exists. Social media is typically described as interactive, and when people try to describe it they often reference “technology, social interaction, and information sharing” (Pavlik, J. & McIntosh, S., 2011, p. 253). However, not all media is social. For example, a print newspaper would not be considered social because there is no interaction between the writers and the audience. The newspaper could be considered social media if someone writes a letter to the editor. A blog is considered social partly because of where it is published (Web) and that the blog itself is open to discussion (by way of people posting online comments).
Culture, Technologies, Blogs and Social Networking Sites
Modern culture and technology has shifted due to the rapid change of social media. “New media are created, dispersed, adopted, adapted, and absorbed into the culture at dramatic rates” (Jenkins, H., 2006, p. 1). Different cultures favor different types of social media, part of which is the result of the available technology in the culture. Through their research, Vishwanath and Hao (2008) found that people in the U.S. were “least associated” with instant messaging (IM), while those in Germany did not favor blogs and those in Singapore did not use home pages (p.17). In the U.S., blogs are increasing in popularity for politicians come campaign time. Those who favor a certain politician or political party can choose to "follow" a blog as a way to stay informed of recent happenings (Peters, J., 2011). Politicians can also use social networking sites, such as Facebook, to create a page where followers can go for information.
Journalism
Social media has had a noticeable impact on modern journalism. It offers news organizations more ways to distribute the news and reach a larger audience. However, it also puts greater demands on journalists and allows the public to set new expectations for their news. Journalists not only perform their routine responsibilities, such as a newspaper reporter writing an article for print, but they are also expected to utilize social media. For example, in addition to the print article, a journalist might also write a condensed version of the article for the paper’s Website, tease the story in 124 characters or less on Twitter, or post a “note” on Facebook. In 2005, Yahoo hired television correspondent Kevin Sites to create and maintain a multimedia Website, “Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone,” to report on wars around the globe (Hansell, 2005). Sites used social media take pictures, shoot video, record commentary, and write about his experiences.
Social media has also changed the way the public views and receives its news, and helped pave the way for participatory journalism, often called citizen journalism. Anyone with access to social media can be a citizen journalist, such as the college student who sees a fire break out in the residence halls and decides to get the word out by posting to Facebook’s “News Feed.” Some traditional journalists balk at citizen journalism because the average person has not been trained as a journalist. However, others encourage citizen journalists, such as CNN’s iReport, where anyone can post a breaking news report. Since citizen journalism is open to everyone, it also means that people should be cautious of where they get their news and what they believe as true. Greg Downey, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, encourages his students to consult a variety of sources for information before deciding what to believe (Downey, G., 2011). It can be hypothesized that social media gives the public a choice, whereas traditional media makes the choice for them.
Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing
Much like its effect on journalism, social media has also impacted the advertising, PR, and marketing sectors. In 2006, Southwest Airlines launched a blog, Nuts About Southwest, to give customers a “behind-the-scenes look” at the company’s daily operations (Stambor, Z., 2008, p. 1). However, what started as a blog turned into much more than Southwest originally anticipated. The company used the blog as an outlet for news, discussion, and customer feedback. The success of the blog inspired Southwest to experiment with other types of social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, and create an Emerging Media department dedicated to this task (Stambor, Z., 2008). However, social media can also be detrimental to a company’s image/reputation if used inappropriately or by the wrong person. In a 2004 article in WIRED magazine, writer Chris Anderson examined “the future of entertainment” in regard to social media and how companies can better market consumers. He references customer reviews on Amazon that persuade or dissuade someone from purchasing a specific book or encouraging them to explore other titles that might interest them. “Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it…” (Anderson, C., 2004, p. 5). Social media offers companies a multitude of ways to market products and services to customers.
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