The Impact of Social Media on News - Research Proposal Example

 The Impact of social media on news Abstract The digital age we live in has the capability to transform the way people communicate with one another. Social networking sites were once used by relatively small elite but now it is extensively utilized by lots of people and has developed into a subject of political debate, public interest and popular culture (Kollock & Smith, 1995/2005). Besides providing benefit to users, social media also have some issues. This research will focus on social media and its effect of news reporting. Reasons and purposes for undertaking this project Information is a vital part of society; over a decade, communication and information dispensing via media has been revolutionized. The world has experienced a change from the quintessential traditional modes of news reporting to a more social media centric way. The transformation of social media has initiated driving the society, connecting people from all spheres of life together and giving the people a voice (Bakhurst, 2011). However, social media also raise a number of concerns such as the ethical problems, lack of privacy, lack of anonymity, defamation, to name a few (Artwick, n.d). This research will help out to find out the accuracy of the news which people gather from social media and the ways the transformation has taken place from previous source of media, i.e. TV and radio, to the quickest and the cheapest source of World Wide Web access. Research project Social network refers to a place or forum where people share information and communicate with one another. It connects people through interpersonal means such as interest, friendship, ideas etc (Coyle & Vaughn, 2008). As human are societal and need to require relationship with other people, therefore, the importance of social networks cannot be denied (Coyle & Vaughn, 2008, p. 13). Social media include mobile-based and web-based technologies such as podcast, social blogs and weblogs besides magazines and other sources (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). According to Kaplan and Haenlein, there are six different types of social media: collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia), blogs and micro blogs (e.g., Twitter), content communities (e.g., YouTube), social networking sites (e.g., Face book), virtual game worlds (e.g., World of War craft) and virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life). Social networking is still the fastest growing active social media behaviour online, this is followed by updating a micro-blog such as Twitter, which increased from 13% to 24%. There are over 2.8 billion social media profiles around the world, 70 million word press and 39 million tumbler blogs worldwide (Pring, 2012). According to Gartner, global social media revenue is forecasted to reach $14.9 billion in 2012 and double to reach $29.1 billion by the end of 2015. There are currently over 845 million active users on Face book, 465 on Twitter and 4 billion videos viewed globally everyday on Youtube. These figures are expected to triple in the upcoming years (Pring, 2012). With this level of growth, social media are rapidly transforming into a substitute to traditional journalism and news outlets, i.e. print, radio and television, and could completely replace our most loved and controversial news anchors, such as Jeremy Paxman, in coming years. Research Aims The main aim of the study undertaken is to inspect the added value social media provide to news and also assess the difficulties journalist, news organisation and social media face by using social media as a platform for news gathering. This research would explore the following aspects: The accurateness of the information gained. The effect of social media on the prevalent culture of the newsroom. The way social media impacted news reporting. The possible consequences of social media, i.e. the emergence of winners/losers and problems. Questions for research The study undertaken will try to explore the answers of research questions mentioned below: 1. Do you think social media have changed the way newsrooms operate? 2. Do social media aid or hinder the accuracy of news reporting? 3. Is using your privacy for trade by a free service and easiness of communication valuable? 4. Will social media replace our traditional news outlets, i.e. radio, TV and print? 5. Do social media prevent originality? 6. What are the effects (negative as well as positive) of the possible switch to social media? Methodology The core of this research project forms an elaborate content analysis of online media artefacts that focus on news stories. Therefore, both primary and secondary methods of data collection are used in this research. Research Methods Primary Research Method Primary research methods will consist of questionnaires and interviews. The use of questionnaires will be based on a standard format to obtain mainly quantitative responses from users, complemented by interviews and focus groups. The latter will help provide additional data for a deeper understanding of the intentions for utilising online media to address a public audience. Secondary Research Method Secondary research method of data collection includes articles, posts, journals, books etc regarding social media and news reporting. For the empirical research about newsrooms, a number of news organisations will be used, to assess more fully the practices and policies of the newsroom culture and the role social media play. Analysis and Evaluative methods In this research, Standard Statistical Packages (SPSS) will be used to evaluate any association, cross-tabulation or grouping that emerges from questionnaire data. Moreover, for the qualitative data gathered from interview data, qualitative data analysis software package will be applied to assist coding. Information Sources Throughout research, the data will be gathered using the following range of information sources: Printed Journals Online Journals Online Databases Government or other regulatory body publications Books Websites Social Networking Sites Proposed Development of Research Year one: Literature review, to help refine research question. Continue to make contacts with social media users, journalists and news organisations, piloting test of instruments to be utilized and development of techniques for research Year two: Primary research of both qualitative & quantitative data; main empirical phase Year three: Analysis, supplementary literature review & the completion of the writing up Literature Review Social Networking Expansion Social network began in 1978 by two men called Christensen Ward & Randy Suess. They were computer hobbyists and invented the computerized bulletin called bulletin board system (BBS). This was used to keep people posted about meetings, share announcements etc. In 1994, one of the first web’s social networking sites - ‘Geocities’ - was formed. This site was used as a form of interaction and a way to keep in touch with old school friends. In 1997, AOL Instant messenger was launched and blogging began. Due to the popularity of ‘Geocites’, in 1998 Yahoo bought over the company for $3.57 billion. In 2002, Friendster was launched and received 3 million users in 3 months. In that same year, AOL received 34 million users and MySpace also launched its site. In 2003, LinkedIn launched its site for professional and then Face book launches its site in 2004 at Harvard College. It was a site aimed at connecting students together and was seen as a college version of Friendster (Bennett, 2012). In 2006, Twitter is launched. This was used as a form of interaction/discussion in topics, debates etc with the use of the harsh tag button. Facebook overtook MySpace as the number one social media site in 2008 (Visual University, n.d.). Social Theory of Media The early liberal thinkers took freedom of expression for granted claiming that the natural frame work of sovereignty and accountability for a modern democratic society was the territorially bounded nation-state. Media institutions have a particularly vital role to play in the progression of a deliberative democracy (Thomson, 1995, 238). They are the principle means by which individuals acquire information and encounter different views on matters expected to form reasoned verdicts. They also provide individuals with a potential mechanism for articulating views which have been marginalised or excluded from the sphere of mediated visibility. But today, these assumptions can no longer be taken for granted. With the conversion of media organisations into commercial giants, the freedom of expression was increasingly confronted by a new threat stemming not from the excessive use of state authority, but to a certain extent from the unconstrained growth of media companies qua commercial concerns. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the print media in Britain weer campaigning against the stamp duties, the early liberal thinkers, such as James Mill, John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, defended eloquently the pressfreedom and an insightful account of its part in the cultivation of public life beyond the state. They saw the free expression of opinion through the organs of an independent press as a major way by which a diversity of viewpoints could be expressed, an enlightened public opinion could be formed, and the abuses of state power by corrupt or tyrannical government could be checked (Thomson, 1995, 239). The free reflection of views and perceptions could be practically achieved, in their view, only in so far as the institutions of the press were independent of the state and situated in the private domain where they may follow their activities with a minimum of constraint; in traditional liberal theory, a laisse-faire view to economical aspects was the natural counterpart to individual liberty of thought and expression (Thomson, 1995, 238). The print media history in western countries provides ample evidence of this law of diminishing diversity. In Britain, for instance, the growth in overall circulation during the initial fifty years of the 20th century was shown to have undergone a decline in the number of newspapers published and an increasing concentration of resources by huge media giants (Thomson, 1995, 250). Journalism and Social Media Ever since the evolution of social media, it seems to play a valuable role in our society today. According to BBC news, social media have three main roles in journalism. Firstly, they can be used for news gathering. They help news organizations gather a lot more and sometimes better material allowing for a wider range of ideas and voices. Secondly, social media can also be used for audience engagement; thirdly, news organizations tend to use them as a platform to listen to their audience, access their needs and know how they can improve their resources. This allows their audience to have a personal relationship with the organisation, and a way of getting their journalism out to the masses (Bakhurst, 2011). Most news channel organisations operate within an ethical framework. They would not report a death of someone until their family knows about the incident. They try to establish the facts before pushing the story. However, social media is completely different in this aspect. Anything is reported unrespectable of the outcome. News organizations work with a law in order to avoid libel and contempt of court. They are prohibited to disclose victim names having the age below 17 years, don’t break an injunction etc. For example, footballer Ryan Giggs was applying for an injunction regarding his affair with his brother’s wife and that of ex big brother contestant Imogen Thomas. However, in front of the court he could construct a verdict, he was already revealed on social media as the man involved. Situations like this can leave traditional media looking slow to break news stories. Social media are also having an influence on marketing, and branding and PR. Together with amplifying complaints, social media also permit media channels to propose exposure of discourse, intensifying the criticism further. These days, a lot of outrage is occurring on Facebook and Twitter which are cited as ‘Twitter outrage’ or ‘Facebook Campaign’ (Norris, 2012). This reshuffling of power has lead companies to place better value on their customer service and marketing policy. A recent study by American Express showed that customers who receive good service on social networks are significantly more likely to buy from that brand again compared to customers who telephone or email their complaints (Norris, 2012). This show the added value/power social media has in our society. Social Media Issues There are a number of challenges that people face with social media. These challenges include privacy, anonymity, ethic, rule of law etc. Social media have privacy neither for news nor individuals. Everything can be discussed from affairs to finances to pregnancies without any form of a personal feeling or privacy (Schutt, 2004). Credible news, fatigue talk, gossip are always broken on Twitter and Facebook every day, and it cannot be protected or controlled. As a result of this, traditional media are left in a very difficult situation. They mitigate this via clear guidelines to staffs, which states that although content placed on social media or other websites "may be considered to have been placed in the public domain, re-use by the news organizations will usually bring it to a much wider audience" (Bakhurst, 2011). A lot of people join debates and sometimes attack or accuse certain people and these people have no name or face and, therefore, cannot be identified, feeling no sense of personal responsibility for the impact. References Artwick, C. (n.d.). Arizona Shootings Illustrate Social Media's Increasing Impact. Washington and Lee University. [Online] Available at http://www.wlu.edu/x52400.xml [Accessed 23 July 2012] Bakhurst, K. (2011). How has social media changed the way newsrooms work? BBC Online. [Online] Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2011/09/ibc_in_amsterdam.html [Accessed 22 July 2012] Bennette, S. (2012). The History of Social Media (1978-2012). [Online] Available at http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-history_b18776 [Accessed 21 July 2012] Coyle, C. L. & Vaughn, H. (2008). Social networking: Communication revolution or evolution? Vol 13 (2). pp. 13-17. Kaplan, A. M. & Haenlin, M. (2010). Users of the world Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons. 53 (1). Norris, J. (2012). How brands are using social media to take back control. [Online] Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2012/jul/16/brands-using-social-media-take-control [Accessed 23 July 2012] Pring, C. (2012). 100 more social media statistics for 2012. [Online] Available at Read More