Every minute brings an amazing moment being unfolded somewhere around the globe. With the advent of the new media, we can be part of such moments, supporting them during what could be one of the most pivotal points in the recent history, sitting anywhere in the world. Serving as a catalyst for the evolution of news judgment, Twitter is taking over the traditional media and journalism in a big way today.
What started as an in-house web application in an organization called Odeo, has spread across the world in a matter of three years, experiencing months and months of exponential growth. Within a short span of time, Twitter has become much more than a platform, where one signs up to stay in touch with his friends. It grew as a source of information, opinions and views about anything and everything one can possibly think of. The question has changed from what are you doing to whats happening. Twitter, in other words, is continuously becoming a speedy news site, where anyone can be the reporter, with breaking news clubbed into the character limit of 140.
Statistics reveal that in a sample of a million accounts on Twitter, about 85 percent regularly post news related tweets. Another research also concluded that any piece of news was posted on Twitter first, before even CNN, which is one of the worlds most well known news channel, broke the news. Since, unlike other social networking websites, Twitter does not need another users permission to follow him, any kind of information spreads like wildfire.
So much is the influence of the social media in the life of many that renowned journalists from all over the world also feel that Twitter is solely responsible in making them a better journalist. They believe that Twitter makes its users more media-literate and hence increases the responsibilities that the journalists have, to give the users authentic information. Many media channels have also chosen to adapt and implement what the new technology has to offer. Twitter accounts of news channels including BBC and CNN have given rise to a whole new platform for them. The channels use the social media to post the various news feeds, along with broadcasting on the television.
Though some traditional media have accepted the new way of getting to the masses, some are still reluctant. Hard core paper journalists, even today feel that the role of the social media is to only to pass information to the masses in a very informal way, and its only up to the traditional news media to act responsibly and provide the viewers with the authenticity of the information, with its slightest of details. They feel that the baton has still not been passed to the social media, and Twitter still has a long way to go to be at par with the existing news mediums.
The question of whether Twitter is a social-networking service or a media outlet, albeit a new form of media, is a pertinent one, which will be answered in due course of time.
What started as an in-house web application in an organization called Odeo, has spread across the world in a matter of three years, experiencing months and months of exponential growth. Within a short span of time, Twitter has become much more than a platform, where one signs up to stay in touch with his friends. It grew as a source of information, opinions and views about anything and everything one can possibly think of. The question has changed from what are you doing to whats happening. Twitter, in other words, is continuously becoming a speedy news site, where anyone can be the reporter, with breaking news clubbed into the character limit of 140.
Statistics reveal that in a sample of a million accounts on Twitter, about 85 percent regularly post news related tweets. Another research also concluded that any piece of news was posted on Twitter first, before even CNN, which is one of the worlds most well known news channel, broke the news. Since, unlike other social networking websites, Twitter does not need another users permission to follow him, any kind of information spreads like wildfire.
So much is the influence of the social media in the life of many that renowned journalists from all over the world also feel that Twitter is solely responsible in making them a better journalist. They believe that Twitter makes its users more media-literate and hence increases the responsibilities that the journalists have, to give the users authentic information. Many media channels have also chosen to adapt and implement what the new technology has to offer. Twitter accounts of news channels including BBC and CNN have given rise to a whole new platform for them. The channels use the social media to post the various news feeds, along with broadcasting on the television.
Though some traditional media have accepted the new way of getting to the masses, some are still reluctant. Hard core paper journalists, even today feel that the role of the social media is to only to pass information to the masses in a very informal way, and its only up to the traditional news media to act responsibly and provide the viewers with the authenticity of the information, with its slightest of details. They feel that the baton has still not been passed to the social media, and Twitter still has a long way to go to be at par with the existing news mediums.
The question of whether Twitter is a social-networking service or a media outlet, albeit a new form of media, is a pertinent one, which will be answered in due course of time.