Social Media: The Digital Educator

When I'm asked to answer how I know what I know, my first thoughts go back to the textbooks I read in school, the lessons my mother taught me, the news programs I watched on tv, and just observing everything around me. But today the new things I learn come mostly from online sources, such as news sites and blogs. While I have Twitter, I'm not connected to it often enough to receive breaking news. I do visit CNN throughout the day and I'd say that's where I receive most of my news information. I also visit Huffington Post. The problem with "reputable" sites like CNN and Huffington is that they are slower to break news due to microblogs like Twitter and Instagram. People who are more closely connected to the source are able to release information through social media and generate buzz before the major networks have had time to verify the information. Before social media we didn't realize the amount of time it takes to verify the important details. Thanks to amateur journalists, we receive information as its happening, the details we want without having to wait.

Yesterday I learned that actor Meshac Taylor passed away. He is most known for playing 'Anthony' on the late 80s/early 90s show Designing Women. I learned of his passing on a celebrity gossip board called Lipstickalley. The person who posted didn't list a source, only stating that he was on his death bed and was near death. The poster didn't say his or her relationship to Mr. Taylor or why we should believe the information. I went to CNN, which serves as a verifyer for me, but there was nothing there. This didn't surprise me because Meshac Taylor isn't considered A-list or is very well known. An advantage of social media, is that the forgotten stars whose deaths don't make it to mainstream media will have a more honorable memorial through social media outlets. Today the news of his passing was confirmed by his son via a tweet. The tweet was posted on Lipstickalley. Only with this confirmation did CNN pick up the story. It was validated. But I knew about it yesterday.

At times social media sites are very credible for obtaining information, though most of us will wait to verify it on a news site that has earned a reputation for credibility.

Let's look at TMZ for instance. This site had a bad reputation prior to the 2009 death of Michael Jackson. But when TMZ broke the news of his death (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=7938705) prior to all the other mainstream outlets, the site gained credibility for its investigative reporting. So now, people actually verify their information through TMZ because they proved themselves.

New Media's Influence

According to NewMedia.org, "most technologies described as "new media" are digital, often having characteristics of being manipulated, networkable, dense, compressible, and interactive, with examples that include the Internet, websites, computer multimedia, computer games, CD-ROMS, and DVDs. New media does not include television programs, feature films, magazines, books, or paper-based publications – unless they contain technologies that enable digital interactivity."

Social media isn't specified, but I think it's capabilities are what I think many people think of when they hear the term "new media." I use new media on a daily basis to perform my work and for personal use. From online meetings and instant messaging, to using my smartphone to send the occasional tweet, to interacting with others on my favorite celebrity gossip messageboard, I find many uses for digital technologies.

Today many people receive their news via social media. When an event, such as a natural disaster occurs, people who are affected by it can take to social media to provide their first hand accounts of the story. The advantage for them is that they don't have to worry about backlash from not verifying information, they can upload a photo or video or tweet for the rest of the world.

But there are negative consequences. Yes, we get an eyewitness account, but what happens when that account differs from someone else's? Which one is true? This is a negative aspect of amateur journalism via social media.

And then what about the media's responsibility to provide truth in reporting? When competing with information on social media involving a breaking news event, news organizations face a dilemma with being one of the first to report on an event, with potentially unverified information, or being late to report but with accurate information that a competitor has already reported.