How do you interact with social media for news?
I am growing up in a time when social media is at its prime. It has become a part of my daily routine to check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. I tend to check all of these sites on my phone right when I wake up, whenever I have free time, and right before I go to bed. All of these platforms bring me different forms of entertainment. I never check any of these in any particular order. I actually tend to go through all of them randomly and then go back through them again just in case I missed something I did not see the first time. Something that has recently come to my attention is how much news is expressed throughout these different social media sites. Growing up, I have never really paid much attention to the news and what was going on in the world. Then, I would go to school, work, and even family parties and everybody would be talking about things that I did not know anything about. It almost made me feel embarrassed that I did not know anything about current world events. I think that it is good that social media is becoming a main source of news, because people like myself and younger generations do not really choose to watch, read, or listen to the news. That is why it is good that the news is reaching out to people of all ages via social media.
I think that the most apparent time I see news is on Facebook. The funny thing is that it was not until recently when I was following actual news pages such as Huffington post, BuzzFeed, New York Times, etc. Before the first day of my social media as news class, I was only following pages and people I was interested in. The way that I would see news is from friends and family feeling strong enough about a subject that they felt the need to share it. I also enjoy liking things that interest me. There are times when things would catch my attention such as a picture or a headline and I would give it a quick like to show my support. My favorite thing to do is comment on different posts and share my feelings on the different topics. I like sharing my reaction and then reading other people’s reactions. I never read comments before I post my opinion, because I do not want other people to influence what I have to say. I constantly see people getting attacked throughout the comment section and always think to myself that everybody has a right to an opinion. It is also important to be respectful of other people’s opinions, even if you do not agree with them.
Instagram is one of those sights that you do not really think you are being exposed to news, but in reality, you are. It just reminds me of the saying, “A picture is worth one thousand words.” This site proves that you do not need a lot of information for something to be considered news. I think that the people who share the news as much as actual news pages, are bloggers. Bloggers are those who share current events and their opinions on them. I personally love reading blogs. Bloggers who have a good following also get sponsored to advertise different products. This is another way news is passed around. People enjoy seeing what clothing is in right now and what they could buy as a cheaper alternative to an expensive item. This is not to say that bloggers are the only ones who communicate news to their followers. The everyday person has as much power to deliver news that a celebrity does. Las Vegas just experienced a tragic moment that unfortunately so much of the world has also experienced. A man with several guns killed and wounded hundreds of people. The day after that happened, Instagram was filled with pictures that said, “pray for Vegas.” Looking at one of those pictures is enough for the audience to research what exactly happened in Vegas.
It is hard to believe that news can be expressed in only 140 characters. Twitter has become a common way that people seek news. The main reason for that is because of the current president Donald Trump. He is by far the most controversial president the United States of America has seen. Everything that he writes on twitter is considered news. It only took one post on twitter to create the current feud in the National Football League that we all know today as the NFL protest. I do not think that the NFL protest would be what it is today without Trump’s open opinion that he expressed on twitter on the subject.
Snapchat is becoming the new up and coming social media site that is sharing news. The discover page that was added not too long ago is an excellent place to get news. I am looking at the discover page as I write this essay and it is weird to see things all sorts of magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and People being advertised. It is so easy for somebody like me to get sucked into any of these links and be staring at it for a good 30 minutes without realizing where the time went.
The last site that I want to talk about is YouTube. I have become so passionate about YouTube these past two years. The easiest way I retain information is by watching an event happen. I was never the biggest fan of reading, which is why video clips get the point across a lot easier. My favorite thing to do on YouTube is go to the trending page and see what is sparking interest at that moment in time. It is always exciting to me when I see the YouTubers I know and love on the trending page.
I think that news being on social media is the best thing that could have happened. People who still sit in their kitchen and read the newspaper while drinking their morning coffee are a dying breed. Social media is only getting stronger and I do not see it fading anytime soon. I think that, because every single social media platform is including news in some form. Social media as news is enough for my needs. The reason I like following so many different platforms is because they all have their own way of communicating news. This helps keep bias opinions out of the question. It also helps somebody like me differentiate fake news from real news.
