Is Journalism in Danger Because of Social Media?
“In times of social media, with the loss of the newspaper, not only a form of information transfer is lost, but also a part of society.” This is what sociologist and journalist Stefan Schulz says in his book Redaktionsschluss.
“A newspaper did not say what was important yesterday, but what was to become important today and tomorrow.” Reading the newspaper is a moment of social calm. Through the legitimacy and authority of journalists, participants and uninvolved parties are held accountable. This deliberate confrontation was exchanged for lurid headlines and a few clicks.
Did you know that not even half of all people who share a link on social media have actually read it completely? This makes any posts on social media viral regardless of whether a post has been validated or not.
For a long time, journalists, readers, sources, and platforms have represented a complex tension that is becoming increasingly confusing. This raises the question of whether social media is reducing editorial journalism – if so, what opportunities and risks do this entail?
BELIEF IN THE POWER OF QUALITY
“There is a lot of information, true and false, and it is difficult for many readers to see the difference,” says Norwegian journalist and author Ingrid Brekke. She takes a critical look at the current development. For them, it becomes particularly problematic when fake news affects the credibility of the media. Nevertheless, the Norwegian remains hopeful: “I have a perhaps naïve belief in the power of quality. We journalists are now pushed for more transparency. In addition, today’s technology allows readers to see what interests them, what they understand, and, more importantly, what they have not yet understood. As a result, we as journalists see what we need to explain better.”
Thanks to online platforms, it is easier than ever to reach many people with as little effort as possible. A tendency that worries journalists in particular, as the boundaries from the general expression of opinion to professional craftsmanship are fluid. Whereas in the past the journalist decided which news is relevant to the public, today it is the readers themselves who create their personalized news feed together with clever algorithms.
As a result, the role of journalists has to be renegotiated. Classic journalism, in which journalists spend months beating the nights around their ears for research, no longer works in this way. “The more interconnected and complicated the world becomes, the more minimalist the reporting on it becomes,” complains Stefan Schulz. Today’s reporting requires explaining climate change within a tweet length.
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A CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE FOR THE FUTURE
When you deal with social media and journalism, you can’t avoid one term: Filter Bubble. The ubiquitous filter bubble refers to the information bubble that captures us all. Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms work with algorithms that want to predict what interests us most. On the one hand, this should make our lives easier, and on the other hand, it should protect us from sinking into a sea of information.
At the same time, the readers should not be denied their maturity, quite the opposite: Readers can hardly escape the influence of algorithms, but they still want to read the articles that seem trustworthy to them. “Apart from the individual interest in reading, a topic can only be set journalistically with reputation,” says Schulz. In the age of fake news, it is important for readers to know where a post comes from. “Trust becomes the basis of everything in journalism”. This gives the interplay of social media and journalism an easily destructible dynamic.
It is understandable to be concerned about journalism, through the way social media influences the transmission of information. Readers inform themselves about topics in such a highly minimized form, which can result in a lot of contextual knowledge being lost. However, it is very convenient to regard journalism as a victim of technology. Instead, media professionals could try to understand the change and find solutions. If you ask Norwegian and German students, you can hardly hold a dominant opinion.
Nevertheless, just over half do not see social media as a danger. Perhaps the traditional editorial offices simply lack a breath of fresh air and young journalists. These could bring a new and intrepid perspective on the topic.