A Research Endeavor in Social News

Abstract

It is fairly commonplace nowadays to say that the increase in the amount of accessible information through social media has affected the way society views current events. This paper questions whether this is due not only to the use of technology to spread information but also the opportunity social media presence for the events and stories surrounding events to be interconnected and centralized, offering further participation around the country and the world. Technology has adapted to the social aspects of our lives and society, in turn, has adapted to the technological aspects of everyday life that modernity proffers.

While it is commonly understood that a large part of social media merely digitizes trivial, personal and inconsequential matters, this paper will address that social media cannot, and should not, be limited to this use. Instead, the influence of social media has proven to be more than a powerful tool that movements may choose or not choose to utilize - it is a social power that ought to be reckoned with. Perceptions may be corrected, convictions altered, and opinions swayed, all through social media. It is more than just a social tool; it is a digital manifestation of social consciousness, and thus a manifestation of collective memory.

Research Questions:

The below questions will give the best insight into the news aspect of social media: how it is used, who uses it, and where the information goes. Because of the intangible and flexible nature of both news and social media, it is difficult to gather extremely contemporary cases. However, in this paper, the approach is to take what we know about social media and news practices to answer the research questions. A combination of primary and academic sources will be used.

1. Which social networking sites are used most, and which are used most effectively for building the spread and relative memorability of news?

2. How many people engage with news across multiple social sites? And what are their news consumption habits on traditional platforms?

Hypotheses:

The below hypotheses are not exhaustive but offer a glimpse into what the likely results of the above research questions will be. Further questions may be asked as a result of the findings of this research. However, these hypotheses will be the crux of the paper, showing how social media has affected the way society views current events

1) The prediction is that those news websites that have integrated social networking capability will be the most used for news sharing and purposes. This facet is increasingly found on news websites. However, some are better integrated with the practice than others, making their stories more likely to be shared on social media platforms.

2) It is predicted that a large percentage of those on social media have some sort of news consumption habits, and a smaller percentage of that grouping engage with news across multiple social sites.

3) It is likely that more and more people consume news or engage in news solely through social media platforms. As a news and social interaction alike turn increasingly toward the Internet for information, the two coincide in such a way as to make news interaction more attractive, versatile, and common when couched in a social media setting.

4) Finally, it is hypothesized that the role of social media in the disseminate and spread of news has to lead to a unique phenomenon: that there is a spread of a few, select stories that make circular rounds across the platforms.

References

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Sundararajan, A., Provost, F., Oestreicher-Singer, G., and Aral, S. Information in Digital, Economic and Social Networks. Information Systems Research. Forthcoming.