Abstract
Traditional media is struggling to keep up with the rapid development of new media that provides opportunities for users to participate rather than being passive. The paper reviews how the development of new media and the consumption of social media has changed the way users receive and consume breaking news. As newspapers face the question of how to keep alive, the relentless growth of digital media is increasingly outdating them which subsequently affects the theory of agenda-setting (Harper, 2010). As traditional agenda-setting allowed producers to be selective on what the viewers see and the order, they see it in. Though, with the development of social media affordances, consumers now have control due to having broader access to data and information (McCombs, 2006). The content that viewers may see can range from professional to non-professional news, also referred to as ‘citizen journalism, a form of collaborative media that the average public may post to social media allowing journalists whether professional or not to further utilise the content (Wall, 2015). This type of content becomes highly prominent during disasters as social media plays a significant role through crisis response as it can allow emergency responders and the public to communicate whilst reaching large crowds promptly (Simon, Goldberg, & Adini, 2015).
Introduction
Social media usage has become the way users now consume breaking news or news updates in general. Both producers and consumers participate and rely on networks and social media to receive the latest updates from video posting of live events social network sites to updates through Twitter Tweets. Individuals in emergency conditions, utilise any means that are available to locate details (Mileti & Darlington, 1997, as cited in Luna & Pennock, 2018). Social media provides opportunities for engaging citizens in emergency management by both spreading information to the public and accessing information from them. Social media and collaborative technologies have become critical components of emergency preparedness, response, and recovery through pre-event, event and post-event processes (Luna & Pennock, 2018). Personally, throughout the Australian Bushfires, I utilised social media sites to share live images and pictures to not only alert families, friends, and the public surroundings but also officials and major news outlets that I may have been able to reach. The paper will cover the stream of online networks and social change discussing that the development and consumption of social media have changed the way we receive and consume breaking news. I discovered during my studies that the media, in effect, follows us around wherever we go, and we’re increasingly becoming oblivious to its existence (Hirshberg, 2013).
New Media
Technology and the media are rapidly changing, and the traditional world is struggling to keep up. Previously, people would consume media by reading or looking at information that was handed to them on a certain timeline. Today’s audience also expects to choose what they read and, in many cases, assume that they are capable of contributing content and perspectives as well (Harper, 2010). Both traditional and non-traditional news organisations report and comment on how the internet and social media, particularly social networking, have begun to have a significant impact on news organisations and the ways they function. The constant development of new media is slowly outdating newspapers as they become confronted with the dilemma of how to make papers viable. Hirshberg (2013) states that new media is constantly altering the media that emerged before it. Therefore, we can look at newspapers being overtaken through the internet distribution of content creators and user-generated content. New media has divided audiences whilst social media has seized the public’s attention, hi-jacking the news and how they consume it (Hirshberg, 2013).
Agenda-Setting Theory
The steady development of new media has further led to critical problems with agenda-setting research. The conventional agenda-setting position of the media entails both the monitoring and collaboration roles of communication, drawing attention to daily new and significant topics whilst shaping cooperation on whether these issues should be prioritised (McCombs, 2006). There were only a few media sources during the broadcast period resulting in the potential to attract a large audience as programming has a huge impact on the national agenda (Feezell, 2017). However, in the current media context, there are many more media outlets, allowing for media coverage to be tailored to particular audience members’ needs, and thereby jeopardising the news media’s previous abilities to influence the public agenda (Chaffee & Metzger 2001; McCombs 2005; Prior 2007; Williams & Delli Carpini 2011, as cited in Feezell, 2017).
These changes to traditional media have transformed the ways users consume news through personalised content and algorithms that this content is produced in. The algorithms limit what is seen on their feeds as they are based on what the users show interest in through liking, posting, re-posting media and search history on these platforms. Therefore, the consumers utilising the platform act as the main filter while the algorithms are the secondary filter as they become accustomed to the consumer’s actions. This affects the utilisation of the agenda-setting theory as journalists and news outlets have lost the choice and control, they previously had on audiences, leaving the theory in question (Feezell, 2017).
Citizen Journalism
Nowadays the audience is participating more and more in the media rather than being passive. Communication and collaboration with producers and consumers have become easier through tools on social platforms. The broad development of these technological affordances within these platforms has made sharing news even simpler over time (Holton, Coddington, & Gil de Zuniga, 2013). As the internet continues to overtake newspapers and television it enhances users to participate in seeking news that interests them whilst allowing them to post news to social media. Social media plays an important role in news consumption as this form of user-created news is heavily relied on by not only other consumers but news outlets too. The incorporation of both professional and non-professional forms of news creates a form of ‘citizen journalism’ which is usually considered a sub-category of ‘User-generated content’ (Holton, Coddington, & Gil de Zuniga, 2013). This is a form of collaborative media where news content is produced by non-professionals (Wall, 2015). This content can be irregular posts along with a Twitter feed, capturing live events and posting it to social media or even the microlocal journalism where the news focus is on a small geographical scale or area. Pieces of information or even the entirety of content that has been created and posted by a user may be publicised further, for example on news channels where journalists can utilise the content as supporting evidence (Holton, Coddington, & Gil de Zuniga, 2013). Therefore, the experience of sharing information through social media becomes an integral part of online consumption.
Yes, of course, there are limitations to user-generated content and citizen journalism as we begin to question the credibility of these news sources. Though, citizen journalism is beneficial to contemporary media as events in rural areas can be brought to the news since mainstream media lacks reporters and reach in these areas (Chadha & Steiner, 2015). The assistance from citizen journalists for regional news organisations allowed the opportunity for national journalism organisations to then gain local and regional connections or access. Citizen journalism becomes more apparent in the case of disasters where citizens, communities and platform users produce news and updates at a rapid pace.
Disaster Management
Mechanisms throughout disaster response continue to evolve alongside social media affordances which are a fast-growing part of disaster response (Simon, Goldberg, & Adini, 2015). When disasters occur, communication is a crucial part of emergency management as many organisations and agencies involved are trying to cover the event. This creates an overload throughout social network sites due to information-hungry users trying to access more answers. Information is dispersed to users whilst also accessed from users on social media sites which gives them the opportunities to engage in the emergency management processes.
It has been observed that social media use increases during a disaster as people are continuously seeking information (Luna & Pennock, 2018). There are critical factors to disaster management that allows the flow of news and information to consumers, journalists, and other users. These factors include preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, they can also be referred to through the three stages of ‘Pre-Event’, ‘Event’ and ‘Post-Event’ (Luna & Pennock, 2018). Through emergency management the sharing of information is a crucial communication tool as once updated information is received by consumers there is a high willingness to share, update and warn other friends, family, and community.
Social media provides a credible contact platform with the public, as well as effective and extensive data collection to increase situational awareness during rapidly changing circumstances (Luna & Pennock, 2018). Throughout the processes of emergency response, all users create, consume, and share information. During the Pre-Event process, social media is used to: send and receive disaster-related information. Disaster warning and detection is a part of the process from pre-event to event emergency management. During the Event process, users can also deliver and receive assistance requests, as well as notifying others of their location and current state (Luna & Pennock, 2018). The Event and Post-Event processes cover the documentation on how the crisis is unfolding whilst providing and consuming new material and disaster information for users. This can then lead to the receival of donations, people who want to volunteer and providing health assistance. Eventually, the distribution of information about disaster relief and recovery would occur at the end of these processes. Connecting or reconnecting with community members, along with discussing cultural and empirical cause and effects, as well as responsibility, are all functions of the Post-Event phase.
In emergency management users can utilise social media platforms to post live videos and pictures that not only warn family, friends, and the community surroundings but also authorities and major news outlets. According to Goodchild, consumers function as “sensors” that provide input during and in the conclusion of a crisis (Luna & Pennock, 2018). Those who are considered as “content creators” or “influencers” have a much larger reach to many different communities than the general public does. Therefore, when these influential members start to partake in delivering or sharing information to their page’s awareness spreads further and faster.
Australian Bushfires and the Media
To conclude this paper, I wanted to communicate all this information into a personal example that my country had experienced in 2019. This is where I realised that I was no longer receiving information physically, i.e. Newspapers or the television, but through my very own Instagram feed. Awareness of the six million hectares that were burnt throughout Australia was brought through viral photos and videos. The escalating crisis captivated the world to such an extent that #AustralianFires trended on Twitter in 158 countries across the world (Mack, 2020). Mack (2020) found that on Instagram, over 62K posts were shared with the hashtag #AustralianBushfires, and TikTok content with the hashtag #supportingaustralia got over 2.1 million views. While Facebook has been criticised, it has proven to be a vital medium for not only communication and linking local communities to the rest of the world, but also for offering assistance for emergency crews. I also noticed that majority of my Facebook friends had utilised the safety check-in which is a tool from Facebook’s ‘Data for good’ project.
The bushfires throughout Australia became very real to me when I began to see visuals of people fleeing their homes and what was left of these homes. I found that this type of content allowed me to feel more connected with my country, which then urged me to share to the majority of my profiles utilising relevant hashtags to reach a further audience. I found that through the online news articles I was reading, there were video attachments that I had seen on my social media feeds prior. News outlets were utilising the content that citizens were producing to their feeds. Citizen journalism tended to create an emotional response from social media users as it creates the feeling of being in the moment of a real and raw event, rather than the moment being described to us through articles. Visuals are powerful, they provide an experience and seek an emotional response out of the viewer.
Conclusions
While new media continues to develop, consumers continue to adapt and respond to these changes. The media’s traditional agenda-setting role entails both the monitoring and collaboration roles of communication, bringing attention to new and important topics daily while shaping cooperation on whether these issues should be prioritised (McCombs, 2006). Media has not only taken control of the user’s timelines and algorithms but also their daily lives in which they rely on these networks to feed them updates and worldwide events. Newspapers have rapidly become outdated as consumers can filter what they want to see by feeding the platform with what they are interested in through likes, comments and platform searches (Harper, 2010). In times of disasters media platforms tend to become overflowed with news in correlation to the particular disaster, these may include updates and coverage from both consumers and producers. Users have also adopted social media affordances to now produce their own content and updates which has led professional journalists to question the credibility of this information. Professional journalists have attempted to protect their power and influence by demanding exclusive rights to news and other sources of media, thereby restricting others to content produce (Chadha & Steiner, 2015). But with the development of new media, the overthrow of the agenda-setting theory and essentially the wider access that consumers now have has hi-jacked news outlets and their journalists.
Platforms are utilised as an additional communication channel where users not only gain updates but can also post their own updates for friends, family and particular communities they may be a part of (Simon, Goldberg, & Adini, 2015). Networks can connect millions of users around the world which allows for the rapid transfer of information to other communities. The consumers, who were once neutral observers, are now cast in a more central and powerful position than ever before, changing the ways users consume, retrieve and perceive news (Hirshberg, 2013).
References
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Feezell, J. T. (2017). Agenda Setting through Social Media: The Importance of Incidental News Exposure and Social Filtering in the Digital Era. Political Research Quarterly, 71(2), 482-494. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912917744895
Harper, R. A. (2010). The Social Media Revolution: Exploring the Impact on Journalism and News Media Organizations. Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse, 2(3), 1-1. Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/202/the-social-media-revolution-exploring-the-impact-on-journalism-and-news-media-organizations
Hirshberg, P. (2013). First the Media, Then Us: How the Internet Changed the Fundamental Nature of the Communication and Its Relationship with the Audience. In Change: 19 Key Essays on How the Internet is Changing Our Lives. Retrieved from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/first-the-media-then-us-how-the-internet-changed-the-fundamental-nature-of-the-communication-and-its-relationship-with-the-audience/
Holton, A. E., Coddington, M., & Gil de Zuniga, H. (2013). Whose News? Whose Values? Journalism Practice, 7(6), 720-737. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2013.766062
Luna, S., & Pennock, M. J. (2018). Social media applications and emergency management: A literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 28, 565-577. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.01.006
Mack, C. (2020). Social Media: Engaging the World in Australia’s Bushfire Crisis. Paper+Spark Digital. Retrieved from https://paperandspark.com.au/social-media-engaging-the-world-in-australias-bushfire-crisis/
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Hi Em!
Your paper is excellent! I think you make a good point about how there is so much information out there on the internet that it’s hard to get the right information. However, with that being said, traditional media (like newspapers and tv broadcasts) does have it’s fair share of flaws. I took a journalism unit in my first year and the tutor shared with the class that there are a certain amount of very wealthy people that own some or most of the broadcasting/printing news channels. She said that this could lead to a lot of bias information going out into the public because the people that own these channels don’t want the information out there.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, is there ever going to be a way to get accurate, reliable news information? Is it better to have too much information, or to have cherry-picked information fed to us by a small group of people? I’m really interested to see what you think!
Hi Em!
This was a really interesting paper, I enjoyed reading this you had some really insightful points and arguments I had not thought of before so thank you for that.
I was particularly interested in your discussion on citizen journalism, I was not familiar with this topic previously so I enjoyed reading and getting to know more about the users role in current events and the consumption of media.
I think when it comes to social medias role and the way we absorb information and content, particularly news, is really interesting and I am intrigued to see the scholarly research done in the future on the way the consumer absorbs copious amounts of media.
I am interested to know your thoughts on this, do you think there are potentially harmful effects of the blurred lines between consuming media for entertainment purposes and consuming media for informational purposes e.g. news?
Hey Bonnie,
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my paper. I am glad you enjoyed it!
Everyone is different in the way they consume and comprehend information/content, which leads to the overflow of many constructed opinions. These opinions can then further cause people to question what they can and cannot believe.
I think the modern news consumption is concerning, as more and more users are gathering news and information from their social media feeds rather than trusted news sources, which most definitely leads to these blurred lines. It causes the inabilities to distinguish between entertainment and the news. I believe that the action of consuming news on our social media feeds is harmful, as it affects our ability to critically understand what we see. Meaning that sometimes users may not realise that certain stories were news, or the popularity of the article judges its importance.
Overall, news consumption is being produced in an unregulated space, as social media is now one of the most heavily used and common news channels.
Thank you again for reading my paper and also prompting me to think about the harmful effects of consuming news through social media.
Hello Em,
Congratulations on a great paper on such an important topic that is particularly prevalent as we endure so many disasters over the past few years. It is a little sad to have to admit that newspapers are slowly declining in readership and so much news is being sourced online as your paper clearly illustrates. I had a wry smile when I read your comment about newspapers becoming outdated, I thought, just like me. I must confess to still reading a morning newspaper most days and watching news of an evening on TV and as yet have not fully embraced the news as reported through social media. I truly hope that any misinformation posted through social media platforms can be isolated and the perpetrators chastised or shamed into submission.
I honestly believe that social media has an abundance of positive uses and far too many benefits to let a few troublemakers, who try to cause panic or hysteria with lies and falsehoods, cause those who rely on these platforms to be unsure or hesitant in what they can trust.
As you point out Em, more and more news content is being posted by regular citizens and it is my hope that most people are trying to assist their community by posting about real events and over time anyone posting misinformation will be routed out and their feeds ignored.
I think one of your most important points is the role social media now plays in the spreading of emergency information to communities in danger and the role it plays in keeping the public updated in real time about developing situations and the help and support on offer to those who need it.
Thank you Em for a thoroughly enlightening and well written paper.
Regards,
Bernie.
Hi Bernard,
Thank you for reading my paper! As much as I have written on the fact that social media has overtaken the newspapers, I am still saddened by the outcome, as I too still read papers such as the Sunday Times! Though, as I had come to admit in my paper, my social media is now my primary source of receiving news and any form of update. Reading the paper has just always been a tradition of mine that I am not ready to let go!
I guess we can only hope that misinformation that is posted to social media can become isolated, but I do believe this may get more and more difficult as social media and the device continues to develop. All in all, I am a big believer in the fact that in this certain situation of news being provided through social media has more positives to it and outweighs the negative side of it all. The fact that we can use social media to immediately alert millions and millions of users of danger or emergency is such a huge benefit that comes with new media.
Again, I do believe most citizens have the users best interests at heart and are posting content that is valid and true, but we can’t always believe that this source of news is true, therefore be picky in what you read and choose to believe!
I’m glad you enjoyed my paper, and thank you again for your insights!
Hi Em,
Congratulation on your great paper. I really enjoyed it.
Interestingly, social media has seemingly even redefined the term Breaking News. In traditional media such as television, broadcasting breaking news requires it to be filmed, written, edited then broadcasted through a studio with a team of operators working together, which you could agree is not the immediacy that social media offers. While responding to breaking news on social media, it can happen in any location, instantly scribed into smartphones and delivered directly to the audience.
I believe the algorithm feature of social media is a worrying development in terms of accessing news via social media. I believe algorithms have the ability for radicalisation and echo chambers, especially if the news sources haven’t verified. I have often noticed when strolling for news, and my feed will prioritise stories by relevance (topics) rather than by recency. I think a positive of news content on social media is that it has allowed access to news from all over the world that previously were not easily accessible. With news organisations being active in social media production, the audiences can access information regardless of location.
You make an excellent point about Citizen Journalists in your paper. In addition, Hamer & Southern point out that the development of smartphones has given everyone the ability to become a Citizen Journalists with media organisations regularly embed tweets inside articles and use them as a “virtual vox pop” from the public on a range of topics (Harmer & Southern, 2020).
Congratulations again, on your paper.
REFERENCE:
Harmer, E., & Southern, R. (2020). Is Digital News Really that Digital? An Analysis of How Online News Sites in the UK use Digital Affordances to Enhance Their Reporting. Journalism Studies, 21(16), 2234–2248. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2020.1831397
Hey Joseph,
Thank you for reading my paper! I love your statement “social media has seemingly even redefined the term Breaking News” because ultimately that was what I was trying to get across! Social media is the new convenient way to receive your news you no longer need a room full of camera equipment and operators to get updates across. But with the loss of this, we now find people questioning the validity of information, as news broadcasters reassured viewers that the information being released is correct.
In fact, algorithms are quite a scary concept in the way that yes, your beliefs and opinions are essentially echoed back to you in the form of news. I know for a fact that when I research a topic once on my google page it is bound to reappear on my Facebook page!
I agree with your positives on news content appearing on social media; it has allowed news organisations to reach a wider audience than before. But it also makes these news outlets question their place in this new society and online development that has and will keep developing.
Thank you for including the great additional point I never really covered, nor looked into the ways in which the development of the actual device itself has affected citizen journalism.
Again, thank you again for your comment and insights on my paper!
Hey Em,
What a great piece of writing. This was very interesting to read as it is very prevalent and relevant to our society today. You articulated the way technologies have developed and the impacts this has had on society very well and I totally agree with the points made.
As information is now able to go viral in a matter of seconds, it is important to be aware of the validity of the information being passed around. A more relevant example of misinformation being passed on is the COVID-19 facts. We get new facts and new information regarding situations etc. regarding COVID-19 and the validity of the information is unknown, this just causes extra unnecessary stress and panic which can easily be eliminated by not receiving this information. This is also one of the negative impacts of technological development and new media as it allows people with limited knowledge on certain topics to put down facts that are either unsupported or untrue.
I really liked how you’ve included a personal example as well.
Hey Saranya,
Thank you for giving my paper a read! I am really glad you could agree with the points I made as yes as you have stated this issue is heavily prevalent in today’s society.
I definitely would have acknowledged Covid as it is definitely a more relevant example for many of us around the world, though I found it to be something that is still ongoing, fresh and really quite distressing in the community. But aside from this I agree with you completely as high magnitudes of information regarding the pandemic continues to circulate making it harder for us to filter through what is valid and what may not be. The circulation of misinformation is overall occurring more now than ever, and the development of new technologies and new media is only going to make it harder to filter through the news.
Again, Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my paper!
Hi Em,
I really enjoyed reading your paper, the topic you have chosen is so relevant and important in contemporary society- there is a lot of evidence to support this argument. From what I see in my own virtual community, social media plays a significant role in sharing breaking news as it allows for important connections and updates to be made instantly, as opposed to print media. I recall the immense importance of social media during the bushfires in 2019, especially with sharing real-time updates of the effected areas.
Another key point that supports your argument is the significant role that social media plays in providing support to victims, especially through fundraising. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were all used to raise awareness for the 2019 bushfires and informed people of how they could effectively help. I read in a Business Insider article that more than $73 million was raised for the bushfire relief funds through social media from all over the world.
Within the past week, I have found Instagram has been a source for a lot of breaking news around the latest lockdowns in Western Australia as a result of the COVID-19 outbreaks. Perth is OK (@PerthisOk) has been sharing succinct updates after the Premier’s press conferences on what the latest regulations are for restrictions and mask wearing in an easy to consume format, which is where i retrieve my information from. Have you found that most of your information on COVID-19 has come from social media throughout the pandemic?
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Meg
Hi Megan,
Thank you for taking the time to read my paper! And thank you for giving a similar insight to what your community is like when it comes to sharing breaking news.
In research on my paper, I actually came across the same Business Insider article covering the bushfire relief. Social media has great tools that assist users in multiple ways, but in particular they allow us to participate. Social media and online fundraising are an effective way that profiles/pages can reach their intended audience and not only raise money but also encourage others to support the cause in alternative ways. In the case of the Australian Bushfires, people all over the world were able to participate and give back to the community in the click of a button!
I can 100% agree with you on retrieving information on the Covid-19 outbreaks through social media. It’s crazy to me that I access most of the news articles I read through Facebook and Instagram posts or promotions. Though, I can also say that I have read some things that are completely invalid which has allowed me to filter through the main news outlets I prefer to take updates and information from.
Another way that I may receive information on less drastic issues/news is when Ads (particularly news ads) pop up after I had spoken to family members about certain events or issues that aren’t so prevalent. I guess you could say that our phones listen to us and provide us with custom and personal information that may have been openly spoken about.
Thank you again for your insight on my piece it’s always great to hear alternative ideas on such a prevalent issue!
Hello Em Farazi,
I really enjoyed reading your paper and I found it to be very interesting. You did a great job in showcasing how media technologies has significantly evolved over the past few decades and how people are adapting to it. Almost every newspaper company has now shifted to the online space where they are now discoverable to a broader audience. Moreover, the fact that user-generated contents are getting more prominent towards online media, the credibility of “breaking new” has to be questioned. Things can go viral in a small amount of time on social platforms. As described by William Richardson on the previous comment, this is exactly what happened in Mauritius. Fake news was being seen everywhere on social media platforms which created panic amongst the Mauritian population. However, the authorities strictly requested our population to only take into account news being pledge by official newspapers online and press briefings during these times of pandemic and this resulted in a significant decline in fake news getting viral on online media. In my opinion, people have to be literate and aware of what they are consuming and the source of the content on social media; maybe subscribing to credible news companies and broadcasters may resolve the issue since you’ll get notification from verified sources, what do you think?
Thank you for this piece !
Hi Theshandev,
Thank you for reading my paper! I’m glad we can agree on the point of questioning the validity of ‘breaking news’ as having more people aware of the fact that ‘breaking news’ can also be ‘fake news’ can ultimately lead to a better outcome of what the population may believe is ‘true’. Thank you for giving me an insight to what it is like in Mauritius! That’s great to hear that the Mauritian authorities have urged your population to only taking on information from official newspapers and press conferences. Australia definitely needs to take on this recommendation due to the influx of fake news circulating at the moment.
I can agree with you on subscribing to credible news companies as I actually do that myself! I try to encourage those around me to do the same as I believe that it can be a steppingstone in the right direction to solving the issue of what is credible and what is not.
Again, thank you for your insight on my paper it has definitely allowed me to understand how breaking news consumption can be different all around the world!
Hello Em!
Indeed! That step taken by the authorities here, along with the fines in propagating fake news, has significantly decreased the amount of fake news getting viral.
It can also be seen that credible news companies are getting more and more followers, specifically those with the “Verified” badge. Personally, just like you mentioned above, I do believe that with the raise in awareness over fake news, people are now taking the step forward in selecting their source for current news with accuracy.
The pleasure was mine!
Hi Em,
A really interesting read about the consumption of online news! I found it very interesting reading about your own personal connection to how online news and media helped you through such a difficult time.
While online news and the way in which we consume it has helped many people including yourself I do feel as though there has been a lot of negative outcomes from it, especially during the Covid-19 era. As you stated the legitimacy of some sources of news are questioned with people using online networks to source their news and I have seen myself over Covid-19 with people saying “we are going into a 3 week lockdown” or “there have been 5 new confirmed cases” has caused so much unnecessary hysteria and panic buying which has then left people without necessities such as toilet paper or pasta for example.
As we will continue to rely more and more on online news in the future with traditional media dying out hopefully the credibility of all news becomes much better and we can get to a point some day where whatever we read on the internet is true!
Thanks!
Hey William,
Thank you for your comment! I couldn’t agree more with the fact that media platforms and the consumption of online news has created multiple negative outcomes throughout the ongoing pandemic. Many things will have to occur for online news to become credible due to the fact that citizen journalism is also gradually overtaking our traditional journalism. But this is all apart of the ever-changing online networks.