*Collaborative Post
Do you remember the 6 o’clock news? It was a thing growing up. A stern summation of the state of the world at tea time. But when was the last time you watched the 6 o’clock news? Or any TV news for that matter? I can’t remember the last time I did. More often, I get my news from my favourite app, an urgent chime from my phone signals the latest headline for me to check. I get the feeling though, that in the same way I view my parents’ scrutiny of the news (and the weather, you had to be quiet for the weather), with a sense of bemused nostalgia, that my kids will view my new app addiction. They don’t even bother with news apps, most kids now, get their news from social media. A massive 88% of 18-24 year olds cite social media as their primary news source. The question is, as a parent of a young teen, what do I think of this?
One thing that cannot be understated is the growing power of the citizen journalist. Gone are the days where journos needed cameras, makeup and mics to get to a story. Nowadays, most people have cameras phones and that’s all you need to get your story out there. When we talk about the most powerful people in the world today, a name often mentioned is a man who owns a lot of news outlets. There’s a definite case to be made for wresting power from people who use it to maintain their own status quo above all else. A single person with their smartphone can, and will go to places that the mainstream news cannot or will not go. There are a number of situations in the world today where citizen journalists are the only people carrying the story, and that’s pretty powerful.
Making things more democratic can only be a good thing. But it’s not all good news. Creating news is one thing; getting it to people on social media requires the algorithm. Algorithms look for similarities, so if you watch a lot of true crime you get sent more. So, the question is, will the more boring stories ever make it out there? Social media favours short-form content, will this leave a place for the stories that are so deep they can only be told at length? And the most concerning of all, do we know what’s true on social media? As much as 62% of news creators admit to not fact-checking before they publish their news. The biggest concern about this trend is a potential lack of truth.
With the algorithm there is a risk of echo chambers driven by bite size and factually questionable content. That’s one outcome, of course. But you have to ask, with certain news outlets on both sides of the Atlantic set up with open political agendas in mind, is broadcast news really that different?
Social media is fast-paced, easily digestible and accessible. My biggest concern for the next generation, and I don’t mind the de-centralisation that much, but what I am concerned about is how fake news is going to be managed. How about you?
If any of this has piqued your interest then check out Click Consult who have some deeper facts on this issue.