Apr 14, 2017
The Relationship Between Snapchat And Journalism
Throughout history journalism, or the practice of collecting, creating and presenting the news and other information, has been a valuable asset to society. Successful societies have existing structures that allow for news to be shared with the people. The earliest sign of journalism found in history was the Acta Diurna in ancient Rome.
This was a daily gazette chiseled on stone and posted in a community square for all to read. This is the first of many examples throughout history. A more common and more recent example would be the newspaper which became increasingly popular with the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. This invention which is arguably one of the most important inventions in the history of journalism made it easier to produce newspaper and books. Before the invention of the printing press everything had to be written by hand making the process time consuming and difficult. Over the course of history, the art of journalism evolved with the advancement of technology. In more recent years and with the invention of the internet, journalism has flourished. With the internet, access to articles and the ability to spread articles has made journalism an even bigger part of the society. With a simple click of a button, people all around the world can read what a person wrote just minutes before. The spread of journalism has also included apps on smartphones and tablets. Plenty of apps offer user access to the news but one app which is growing increasing popular with teens is Snapchat.
Snapchat was the young person’s app of choice in America for a second straight year.
Snapchat being a very popular app offers user many updated daily stories that feature articles about celebrity gossip, food, sports, and current events in one section of the app called discover. While some websites are not credible, Snapchat is credible because people have existing biases against print media, there is an extensive process that an article has to go through to get published online, and the field of journalism allows people to get informed with little effort.
The Writing Process
The writing process in print media can be easily defined. As shown by this
flow chart provided by Floris Books which is a British publishing company, the process to getting published in print media involves many steps. Although the steps are clear it is a tiresome and painstakingly long process. First an author must choose a topic and write a formal proposal directed towards an editor. Assuming that the editor likes the idea, they will approve the author. The author will then with the suggestions of the editor, rewrite the document and submit it again to the editor. This process repeats many times until the editor is pleased with content. Once the words are set, then the publisher and author have to work together to lay out the book and design the cover art. Once the book concept is set, it then has to be printed and shipped.
Meanwhile the book will move to the marketing department where they will spread the book idea to consumers and hopefully gain a market for the release. After months when the book is printed it is then ready to be shipped across the world to readers. The overall process takes somewhere from three to six months and involves a lot of checks and balances between the author, editor, and publishing company. Another important note is that some books are rejected by top publishing companies and are issued either independently or by a local publisher. Both the time it takes to get a book published and the availability of the work in terms of location and numbers can reduce the amount of consumers. On the other hand, digital media needs to go through a much simpler publishing process. Most websites usually the bigger and more popular sites require that articles pass through a process of editing and revisions before it is posted. This process is often much faster and simpler but the shortening of the process does not effect the credibility content. One of the leading websites in terms of verifying content before posting it is Snapchat.
In a statement regarding the content within the app, Snapchat said: “Social media companies tell us what to read based on what’s most recent or most popular. We see it differently. We count on editors and artists, not clicks and shares, to determine what’s important.” This approach of editors helps establish credible because of the process the content has to go through in order to get published.
Everyone has Biases
Another aspect of credibility besides the authenticity of the information presented is how people view the particular topic. Everyone has a particular opinion on topics. These beliefs and views that influence how people view a certain topic are called biases.
Biases play a big part in judging the credibility of an article. Biases can exist due to the subject, the author, the source where the article is published, how the consumer is receiving the news, and many other aspects relating to the article. People have existing biases that influence how they receive the article. Another important thing to note is that people are often unaware of their existing biases and in return do not realize that they have already inspected and judged the information in their mind.
In terms of digital journalism, people who do not use the internet to receive news as their primary form would most likely have a strong bias against the information they read online. This bias against digital media would influence how they react to the information they just received. According Russell Heimlich, who writes for Pew Research a non-partisan fact tank, “Only 29% [of Americans] say they read a newspaper yesterday — with just 23% reading a print newspaper.” According to this study, less than a fourth of the participants read a physical copy of a print newspaper. With technology all around, these people could easily read the same newspaper online like the majority of people. Another example is the people who choose to view the news on digital sites and other media outlets such as Snapchat. This bias could influence how they view media that saw on the internet. The population appears to be on both sides of the argument in terms of digital journalism credibility. Some people do not trust things they read online while other believe anything they read online. The bias can influence how people react to the information that they just read. A perfect example of someone believing everything they have read online as true can be seen in this State Farm insurance commercial.
The woman in the commercial believes that anything online is true and puts herself in a position to be misled and misinformed like the “French model” she met online. Although these biases exist, they only slightly take away from the overall credibility of Snapchat. This is because of the process that Snapchat uses to ensure that only factual and quality stories are posted within the app. The screening process for potential stories eliminates the doubt that the stories are fake or are only for views. Biases against digital journalism will still exist but they will hold no ground as they have little evidence.
Spreadability
Furthermore, another main difference that exists between print media and digital media outlets such as snapchat is the reach of the article. Printed newspapers and books can only be read by people who possess a physical printed copy. While an article posted online can be read wherever there is an internet connect. That same article can be instantly translated into any language online and read by anyone. The reach of digital media is much farther than that of print media. Another factor which can be seen within the snapchat app is that current events are actually current. Unlike previously dominate ways of receiving news, Digital media and snapchat journalism provide updates with relevant up to the second information. With newspapers or periodicals, one would have to wait until the next morning to find out what happened the day before. Too many things can happen within in one day in terms of new advancements in a story. Another popular media choice is the television broadcasted news which provides current information but requires viewers to be glued to a screen. Both of these ways to get informed of the news are often viewed as reliable sources and very credible. Also reliable is up to date stories posted within the Snapchat app and other online websites.
This method allows for viewers to be informed with the most current information available. Snapchat’s breaking news story that appears when something big is taking place is updated within minutes with video and information from people who were present. Civilian provided pictures and stories are then reviewed and approved by the staff giving others a firsthand and reliable account of what took place. With this method of user submitted content there are reporters everywhere. Instead of waiting for a reporter to get to the scene of the event or interviewing people who saw it take place, Snapchat reaches out to its users.
Is all digital media credible?
Unlike snapchat, not all websites offer information that can be trusted. The biases that exist against digital media do hold some truth. The following statements are from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice who compiled advice to remember when looking at credibility online “Not all websites are created equal. They differ in quality, purpose, and bias …Some web sites have sponsors who pay for specific content to promote their products or ideas. The information is not impartial but biased … Some web sites voice opinions rather than make informed arguments … Some web sites are meant to be entertaining rather than informative … Some web sites seek to scandalize and breed controversy rather than provide reliable information …Some web sites are old and the information found there is out of date.” These statements are very accurate and provide helpful information to keep in mind when viewing information online. Even a trustworthy website can be inspected by applying the same standards to the website. Not all websites offer reliable and trustworthy information due to how the internet works. Anyone can create a website and certain websites allow people to upload whatever they want. For example, a popular website called YouTube allows user to upload any video that they recorded and lets people all over the world watch the videos. Not every website requires that an article or video has to pass through an extensive process in order to go published.
Conclusion
Throughout my research I have explored how reliable and credible Snapchat is in terms of digital journalism. Within the past year, Snapchat has made an effort to better redefine their process in which articles get posted in the app. I reached out to Snapchat in order to get some inside information on the new process that articles have to pass through before people worldwide access them when I first started researching the topic but sadly never heard back from anyone at the company. From what I have read about the old and new processes, Snapchat made a major change in an effort to reduce misleading information and false claims. Although Snapchat has a definitive process that involves editors, not every website is as strict as Snapchat. Some website do not require an editorial review before things are posted online for the whole world to read or watch. Another factor involved in credibility is biases. People hold biases against and for digital journalism weather they are aware of them or not. Everyone’s personal experiences play into how they interpret what they have just read. As the world evolves in the digital era, digital journalism within apps is becoming more common and more publications will follow.
About the Author
My name is Steven Todde and I am a sophomore at Arizona State University. I have studied journalism throughout my academic career. Starting in elementary school where we presented current events and reported on the weather, I developed an appreciation for journalism. In high school, I studied journalism in many classes such as English, journalism, and writing. Additionally, in high school I helped with the production of my school’s newspaper which was distributed once a month to the entire school. More recently, in college I have taken classes that revolve around journalism and plan to study the subject more until I graduate. Outside of school, I have work some jobs that had journalism aspects within them. I hope that after I graduate I can find a job that allows me to enjoy and study journalism like I have in the past classes I have taken.
