Up to the Minute Information Highway
Social media has changed the way we receive information that
we, the interested party, wants to listen, view, and read. Would John Tobin have received as many votes
if he didn’t send all those video messages out to potential voters? I thinkJustin Trudeau is following the same
path. Justin is reaching out to all potential his voters with every type of
social media he can get his hands on.
His backers are not stupid, he is a very good looking man like his
father was and will receive women’s votes due his looks alone.
The multiple platforms have helped me personally, as I tend
to zone out if I have to listen or watch any more than a few minutes unrest in
Iran or Iraq. I have always felt guilty
about not knowing the world news but since Twitter I can follow news without
having to have the extended version.
A very good friend of mine is a news hound. She is so informed she barely gets any
sleep. She is in the category of comments,
critiques and conversations as she has conversations with so many news makers
they are now re-tweeting her traffic reports.
Let me expand this point. The
other night she sent me a text with a link to CKWS’s Facebook page. I knew it was important coming from her late
on a Monday night. I clicked on the link
and found out that someone had installed a camera in the showers at a residence
at Queen’s University. I immediately ran
to my daughter who is in her first year at this University and told her about
it. I went back to the Facebook page
with her by my side and I asked if they knew which residence this incident took
place. Within five minutes we had the
answer. It was Victoria Hall, just as my
daughter predicted. We kept watching and
waiting for more news and then another message came through from my news hound
friend and that link told me the floor the incident happened on. Even though I
was relieved it didn’t involve my beautiful girl I wanted to reach out to the
parents of the girls who were violated.
To summarize my thoughts on social media and how it affects
our news today I can’t think of a better way to use social media. I became a part of that news story and I may
have been able to sleep that night but did the other parents who were following
this news story sleep a wink? I bet not!
I believe social media has brought journalism to the
forefront of our lives, where it should be.
My son follows a feed that gives the real story of what is happening in
the U.S. he taught me a great deal about the recent election and results. He always told me I needed to be more
informed and now I am thanks to social media
Vicki, thank you for sharing your personal experience with "news as it happens". Social media definitely brings news to us faster and we can access information from all over the world. In your case, from a Queens U residence.
ReplyDeleteBut sometimes information, without proper context, can create problems. Case in point is some of the reporting done recently on the fires in Australia. The source of one of the reports I was following was identified incorrectly and DID NOT happen just up the road from my son. Fortunately. This goes back to the concerns that many of us have noted about accuracy of information that is being posted, as well as bias. Sometimes I think it is just for shock value.
Since this situation I have learned that I need to remember that many of these postings are not done by experienced journalists who are aware of the impact of improper reporting. But who knows. If I found myself in the middle of an exploding situation I probably wouldn't be stopping to think about the impact of the material I was posting, but just the need to get the story out NOW!!..
Hey Vicki,
ReplyDeleteIt's true about Justin Trudeau that he's using all sorts of forms of social media for his advantage. Sure, his father was famous and his last name alone gives him credibility within himself as a person. He's appealing to the young voter very effectively. In Canada, acquiring the younger generation of voters has always been tough to come by, considering the interest in the government within youth isn't too high. Trudeau is doing the right thing to claim the youth vote to appeal to young voters by reaching out via social media. Even President Obama did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit to appeal to younger Americans. If no politicians can adapt to modern age of social media, don't expect to sit in office too long. Adapt or get lost!