The Impact of social media on Journalism

Social media has influenced our next generation quite significantly in a vast majority of
ways that have not been brought to the public’s attention. Social network platforms have become
integral parts of one’s daily life and has changed the way people interact and behave, especially
amongst our generation Z population (born in late 90s to 00s). They have become digital natives
where they rely on social media as their primary sources for information, entertainment, and
social interaction. One prominent way that it has influenced our youth that has not been brought
to the public eye is the effect that social media has had on our generation Z populations
consumption of journalism. The difference between consuming news sources from social media
and traditional media sources can be drastic and many young individuals gain an alternative
perspective on journalism. Rather than looking for practices of good journalism such as in-depth
reporting or investigative journalism, most of all youth are looking to consume their media
through social media outlets that condense the information to take seconds to digest.

Although social media may seem like it is making a positive impact on our youth’s
consumption of journalism, in retrospect, we can see that it has only deteriorated their
consumption of true journalism and deterred them away from wanting to spend more than a few
seconds indulging in news stories. Many members of the generation feel as if they do not have
the desire or patience to spend more than a few moments of their time consuming a news story
and as a result, journalism has continued to decrease in quality of reporting. Media outlets today
are drifting away multiple page articles and are making every effort to keep their news articles as
informative and condense as possible. This stems from the influence that social media has had
not only our generation Z but on all other generations that consume different forms of media.
When comparing traditional news articles with the ones on social media they differ significantly
and can cause individuals to not gain a complete understanding of the story. This can lead to the
spreading of false information or even fake news and can not only impact the reputations of these
news outlets but the perceptions of individuals on them as well. Social media has negatively
affected the consumption of real journalism amongst Gen Z and has led to many challenges they
face when consuming media.

Social media has impacted the consumption of journalism for all individuals and has
created a sense of urgency to arise when reporting media. People no longer must wait for news
articles to be released hours after events have occurred and are able to access new information in
real-time on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Unfortunately, although this may seem to
have a positive effect on the consumption of media, it impacts the credibility of news sources
negatively because of the challenge of verifying information and the use of uncommon
journalistic standards. According to a study done by David Westerman, as social media becomes
a more heavily used information source, even for things as critical as risks and crises, the
gatekeeping function of that information also falls more into the hands of the page users, rather
than the page creators (Westerman). This has led to the proliferation of fake news due to the
number of users that are spreading fabricated information on user-generated social media pages
and the speed at which information can be spread immediately. Media outlets have two main
motivations while releasing fake news one being pecuniary, attempting to makes news go viral to
increase ad revenue, and the other being ideological, influencing people’s perceptions such as
sharing information on political candidates (Hunt). Social media has made it much easier for
media outlets to benefits from fake news because they are able to release intriguing headlines
without having to provide details or sources. While looking at a study done by the University of
Southern California on fake news in social media, the researchers found that users’ social media
habits doubled and, in some cases, tripled the amount of fake news they shared (USC). Due to
the platforms allowing you to share news with everyone you know at the click of a button, social
media has made fake news in journalism a more prominent issue than ever. It has also led to the
issue of being able to verify the credibility of information because the standards in which people
are used to having when consuming media have completely dismantled. According to a study by
Alfred Hermida, new storytelling approaches are developing in the live coverage of unfolding
events that brings together both unverified social media content and authenticated professional
reports (Hermida). The common practices that once were instilled in journalism are no longer
present and journalist find themselves focusing more on the speed of transferring information
rather than the validity. “Negotiating the tension between being first and being right is not new.”
Journalists have long had to find “the right balance between speed and accuracy, between being
comprehensive and being merely interesting” (Hermida). Altogether, social media has weakened
the credibility of journalism in the today’s era significantly and changed the perception of the
way individuals, especially the generation z population, view media.

Another way social media has adversely affected the practice of journalism is through the
decline of long-form journalism and the uprise of the attention-grabbing click-bait culture. Social
media has influenced a shift in journalism towards focusing on short-form media that captures
the audience’s attention quickly with the sole intention to gain a click towards another page. This
has caused journalist to embellish certain parts of news stories and to fabricate headlines to make
them more intriguing to their audiences. Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian and a
columnist for the Observer states, "If you're setting individual targets about how many clicks
they should be getting, they will be more inclined to do this instant gratification journalism rather
than look into issues of concern about how the local council is performing because they take time
to research” (BBC). This has led to a significant decline in the depth of news reporting as
journalists are focusing their efforts on capturing their audience’s attention momentarily rather
than practicing good journalism and providing an in-depth report on articles. “Click bait stories
have somewhat diminished the value of news… if you overplay your hand, people will find out
what you're offering will not match your headline” (BBC). The click-bait culture that social
media has formed has not only impacted the quality of journalism from reporters, but it has also
skewed the perception that individuals have on media outlets. Media companies rely heavily on
the reputation they have spent years building amongst their audience and the decline in
traditional journalism practices have altered these reputations. Due to the clickbait culture that
has risen, users on social media are looking towards echo chambers as confirmation to reinforce
other click bait headlines they see. The decline in long-form media consumption has changed the
way journalist choose to write articles as they are more focused on gaining attention than
providing quality content that the reader most likely will not read. After the introduction of social
media in the late 2000s, overall daily newspaper circulation has dwindled to around 25 million,
down from about 51 million in 2007 (The Hill). In today’s era, we are less reliant on in-depth
journalism than ever, and social media has shaped the way we consume media for eternity.

When examining the impact that social media platforms have on journalism, it is
important to address the influence that algorithms and artificial intelligence have on the news
people view through their platforms. The majority of all social media platforms have embedded
AI technology that create algorithms to promote and showcase different posts to specifically
targeted users. Many news outlets pay social media companies to have their posts promoted
towards specific types of users that all share common physiographic and demographics which
connect them back to the post they are viewing. According to Berkeley college of engineering,
some side effects of these algorithms include informational echo chambers, the spread of false
information, or even introducing users to communities with very extreme, potentially harmful
ideologies (Berkeley). The social media platforms draw users’ attention to news articles they
have no interest in viewing but end up consuming anyways due to them falling within the
algorithm these outlets have established. This then leads media companies to receiving clicks and
impressions from individuals who had no prior interest in consuming their media and can impact
the type of audience and reputation these media companies have spent years generating. It can
also lead journalists to never gaining a true grasp on the impact their journalism is making and
the impressions it leaves on readers. Unfortunately, this results in echo chambers being
established because media companies are more concerned with going against common norms
and engaging audiences in media that is unfamiliar to the rest their audience is consuming.

Many of the top media outlets continue to regurgitate the same information with slightly
different headlines to remain relevant and not risk being questioned or examined by their
audiences. An article from the Missouri School of Journalism states that due to AI being human
generated, it will always share the same bias tendencies that evolved from human beings, such as
racism and sexism within the algorithms. This raises concern for journalists because the news
they produce can be distributed through these platforms’ algorithms through a biased lens and
evoke an audience which is skewed based on selection. Algorithm personalization can often lead
to reduced exposure to diverse media content and can cause a chamber of echo’s which
constantly circulates fake news. It can also lead to articles produced by news companies never
gaining enough attraction and having quality journalism being overlooked and undermined.
Algorithms can also hinder individuals from accessing a widespread of information on platforms
and can cause them to be continuously viewing the same things time after time. This takes away
from the true nature of journalism where individuals have access to all sorts of media stories and
then can self-select what they have personal interest in. Although older generations may not be
used to this kind of algorithmically generated content, our generation Z population has
experienced this their entire lifetime and has not been given the ability to self-select their own
media like their parents once could. Instead, they are used to relying on whatever news stories
come to them through their social media platforms and rarely move away from exploring the
other stories news outlets release. Overall, media companies utilize algorithms to increase
reactions, however, it changes the way people view their media and the quality of journalism
they release to the public.

When looking at the business model of social media platforms their entire revenue is
generated through the number of clicks and impressions it generates from users of the platform.
The rise of the reliance on social media platforms has caused the commodification of news and
has changed the way media companies promote their news articles. By establishing a click-
driven revenue model it can cause major implications on the quality and standards of journalism
which are being released to the public. According to Jesse Palo, the point of journalism is not to
get as many people as you can to read it, but rather, to educate and help people understand
pressing issues in society (Palo). Social Media business models have caused journalists to create
their articles with the intentions of gaining as many views as possible, without caring what the
users think about the quality of the journalism. This has caused our younger generation to never
being able experience what true journalism represents and how it should be consumed.
According to the Harvard business review, the media’s practice of focusing on the manipulators
and their machinations rather than on substantive issues is perhaps unavoidable because it
reflects several aspects of American culture (Harvard). The American culture has shifted towards
oversimplification being the norm and attention spans shrinking to spams of seconds. Generation
Z has played a pivotal role in influencing this change in culture and is one of the key reasons as
to why media companies are changing their journalistic practices and the ways they behave. The
decline in financial sustainability from traditional revenue models has forced all these major
media outlets to shift towards the click-culture we have today to keep their company top of mind
and continue generating sustainable revenue. Unfortunately, many of these companies must take
on these revenue models because they cannot financially sustain themselves through traditional
journalistic practices. This has caused our generation Z population to only experience the click-
bait media culture and has deteriorated their perceptions and trust amongst media outlets.

Although social media has had numerous negative effects on journalism in today era,
there are also some potential positive aspects that social media has created for journalism. The
most prominent positive impact it has had is on the accessibility of media towards users of these
platforms. Individuals now can access all their news content within the same platform without
having to leave the app or even search anything into an internet browser. Users also can follow
their favorite news outlets which give them live updates and notifications whenever something
new is released. Social media also enables journalists to get their stories out quicker with less
barriers to having to release information to the public. It also allows these journalists to stay
completely up to date throughout the day with real-time information and makes their job of
discovering information much easier. According to Pew Research Centre, among journalists who
use social media for their jobs, nearly nine-in-ten say it has a very or somewhat positive impact
on their ability to promote stories, while about eight-in-ten say it helps their ability to connect
with their audience and find sources for stories (Pew). This exemplifies how journalist view
social media as an extremely effective tool for them in which it helps their journalism practices
in a multitude of ways. Although it may seem like social media has provided great benefit for a
lot of journalists, it does not come close to the negative repercussions it has had on the credibility
of media, the practice of in-depth journalism, the impact of algorithms, and the impression
dependent revenue models. The effects of these are catastrophic on many longstanding aspects of
journalism and our younger generation will suffer as a result. Many young journalists may be in
support of social media solely because it makes their jobs easier, however, easier is not
necessarily better, and in this case, the overall impact is much worse.

Social media has strained our Generation Z population from having the ability to
consume real-journalism and has inflicted many challenges amongst the generation surrounding
media consumption. Social media has changed our lifestyles in many unique ways and has
created a bubble for individuals to gain information, interacts with friends, and entertain
themselves. There are many positive effects that social media can play on one’s life, however,
there are also several negative aspects that people often overlook which can cause more damage
than good. The generation Z population was raised during the time of the rise of social media and
as such have it embedded into every aspect of their lives. Social Media has entirely changed the
way this generation consumes journalism and has taken them away from the longstanding
journalistic practices in which media outlets have relied on for decades. Journalism now has been
deterred away from long-form reporting and the clickbait culture has decreased the credibility of
the sources people read. The revenue models and algorithms in which they operate under cause
the true meaning of journalism to be lost and for journalist to focus on gaining as many
impressions as they can without caring about the quality of their work. Journalism must adapt
differently to the change in culture in proceeding years and focus on bringing journalism back to
what it once was, while simultaneously utilizing the positive impact that social media can
provide.
 Sources

https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/19/2/171/4067516

https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.31.2.211

https://news.usc.edu/204782/usc-study-reveals-the-key-reason-why-fake-news-spreads-
on-social-media/#:~:text=Surprisingly%2C%20the%20researchers%20found%20that,and
%20lack%20of%20critical%20reasoning.

https://www.alfredhermida.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/
c17_hermida_social_media_unproofed-1.pdf

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34213693

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3760391-is-long-form-journalism-dying-a-five-minute-
read/

https://funginstitute.berkeley.edu/news/op-ed-social-media-algorithms-their-effects-on-
american-politics/

https://rjionline.org/news/understand-algorithmic-bias-in-journalism/

https://medium.com/social-media-writings/the-commodification-of-journalism-
3f37f8e021b9
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2022/06/14/many-journalists-say-social-media-helps-
at-work-but-most-decry-its-impact-on-journalism/