Twitter Fingers

“Oh look I got a new follower!” you overhear an excited college girl exclaim, while scrolling through her iPhone and chatting with her friends during lunch. A confused look washes over your face, and your eyes squint while you think about what that girl has just said. No, that delighted girl has not just received yet another stalker. You my friend, have entered the 21st century. A whole new world where the term “follower” does not refer to someone watching your every move and creeping up behind you in dark corners. A “follower” represents a much more positive idea. It actually relates to the social networking website, known as Twitter. Here, a “follower” is someone that simply sees your tweets in their newsfeed. By “following” you, they can stay updated on what you ate for lunch that day, to how much your boyfriend bothers you.    


Our world today revolves around the many new social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook. Words now have new meanings, and words that were never even real, are now listed in the dictionary. But our vocabulary has not been the only aspect of our society altered by this social media epidemic. Social networking has changed mass media as a whole. From the way we find out news, to the accuracy of the news we hear, to the necessity of being in the loop when it comes to these websites. Whether social media has changed our society’s view of mass media for the better, it is still a change we must adjust to, and learn to live with. Mostly because at this point, it may be impossible to live without.


Social media is all the rage among teenagers, to people in their mid-twenties. Social networks have developed a new form of advertising among businesses, in order to get the attention from this social media crazed generation. Restaurants and various businesses have their own Twitters, or Facebook pages. They’ll have signs on their door saying “Like us on Facebook”. Or tell their customers to “@ them on Twitter”. CNN news has their own Twitter account, posting 140 characters or less of reports at least every hour. This is a tremendous change for mass media. Now, not only do we find out news through our conventional mass media tools; like the newspaper and television, but we can also find out pieces of stories through Twitter.


These companies and news channels must have these social networks to get noticed and stay approved by the twenty-something tweeters. People no longer rely on only the television or newspaper for news reports. They can easily see a breaking news story pop up in their Twitter feed, while scrolling through their smartphone. While these traditional forms of mass media like the newspaper or television will most likely not die out because of social networks, they have definitely felt the need to alter their tactics and fit into this new social media fad.


Companies are not only using Twitter to stay popular, they use Twitter to help their business grow, and increase customers. According to Aaron Lee, in the article “10 Reasons Why Your Business Should Use Twitter”, tweeting and connecting with people can get your company more attention. Lee states how having a twitter allows customers the chance to comment and provide feedback. Now, businesses have the opportunity to change any issues they have, and can improve their work. This is the same for mass media. Because viewers can now stay updated on breaking news reports via Twitter, people can remain informed on the issues. This can also be useful at times of chaos. In an emergency, someone will not typically be watching TV, but it is likely they will have their cell phone on them, to hear about any sort of incident through all different kinds of social media.


The increase in news reporting through Twitter and Facebook has its benefits. And in this busy life we lead, people always feel the need to stay in the know no matter where they are. Having the convenience to check-up on a certain story by simply clicking the Twitter app on your phone helps tremendously. Amy Mitchell, Tom Rosenstiel, and Leah Christian explain how much people rely on news information via Twitter and Facebook in the article, “What Facebook and Twitter Mean for News”. They continue to discuss how social media is used to access news. These social networks were first created to keep people connected to each other, but their popularity has crossed over the social barrier and now provides a path to receive credible information.


While the direction towards news reporting social media conveniently benefits our lives, the world is not all shiny smartphones and happily informed people. Unfortunately, this shift in social media has taken a negative toll on news reporting in certain cases. One of the most popular negative aspects of social media has always been the gossip. Through networks like Twitter and Facebook, celebrity gossip spreads faster than 4G internet speed. The most outrageous rumors are trending on Twitter within an hour. From the crazy statements saying a random actor has died, who is evidently healthy and well, to the impulsive tweets suggesting scandalous behaviors among singers. Well, it is no surprise this gossip obsessed society has taken the typical celebrities plus rumors equation, and added breaking news to the problem.


The concept seems ridiculous. Why on earth would anyone in their right mind feel the need to make up stories about serious issues? Stories that could potentially scare individuals because they expect them to be the truth? It is asinine, it is moronic, but it is also very real. People actually do spread rumors about real issues through social media. Tweets have been posted warning people about shootings at malls, when in fact there were none. And Facebook statuses have been updated discussing political issues they truly know nothing about. Sometimes these rumors begin because of ignorant individuals that have nothing better to do. While other times these fictional stories are nothing but examples of miscommunication through the game of telephone that is social media. Mixing up a word or name can make a huge difference in the story.  


Identity infringement is yet another issue our society faces because of social media. Since people post an assortment of information about themselves on these websites, along with pictures, someone can easily pretend to be this person through the internet. Misleading others who you are is a huge problem among social networks, but the loss of identity gets much worse than having someone use the same exact profile picture as you on Facebook. Much more serious concerns take place when people learn how to actually steal your identity and bank account information. According to Jam Kotenko, in the article “Facebook Identity Fraud is Up and You Need to Be Careful”, “Facebook users are duped into surrendering personal information through fake posts that solicit likes, votes, or link clicks”. One wrong click and you could be the next victim for identity theft. This dangerous risk people take every day when logging onto social networks does not sound worth it, but our society has become so dependent on these forms of media, that it seems almost impossible to log out of our accounts for good.  


The development of social media was originally created for a fun form of communication among people. Today, social networks are used for companies, and news reporting as well as its original purpose. There are both positives and negatives to the combination of mass media and social networks. But as dangerous as the negative aspects to these websites become, it is unlikely our society will have the willpower to stop themselves from posting that unimportant tweet or “liking” an unnecessary page on Facebook.

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