I
know I am not the only one when I say that my Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
feeds are filled with more celebrity accounts than any news or political ones.
Or maybe I am? The phenomenon that millennials have more of a focus and
interest on celebrity and entertainment news over traditional news is
definitely one that is happening. And it’s called “infotainment.” Before
searching this term, I would have never suggested that my current intake of
certain “news” already had an actual whole word and definition for it, but in
this day and age, nothing is truly surprising. Infotainment is content
broadcasted that is meant to both entertain and to inform the audience. In the
digital age generation, there has been an increase in wanting to know more
about celebrity and entertainment news and because of all the new technology
and social media platforms, this information is accessible at the tip of our
fingers. Everything for us millennials seems to be located in that little glass
screen we use as our “lifeline” into the media world.
So
how do millennials gain the news that they do? For me, I use my Twitter account
and Instagram account the most, and sometimes check find things out when
scrolling through my Facebook feed. In the article “How Millennials Get News:
Inside the Habits of America’s First Digital Generation”, reporter Eric Young
explains that “Millennials consume news and information in strikingly different
ways than previous generations, and their paths to discovery are more nuanced
and varied than some may have imagined.” With the constant rise of technology,
there are always new apps and resources developing that allows us to gain
information of something happening in the celebrity/entertainment and even the
worldwide news world anytime and anywhere. Young continues to explain that
“data suggested adults age 18-34-so called Millennials- do not visit news
sites, read print newspapers, watch television news, or seek out news in great
numbers. This generation, instead, spends more time on social networks, often
on mobile devices.” With celebrities and entertainment sources having the
advantage of being able to promote their own idea of “news” out into the social
media world, millennials are keeping their social media accounts with the
information that they want to know about, whether it be a TV show account, your
favorite actor, your favorite model, your favorite reality star, or even your
favorite clothing line- you can know their information the way you want too.
In
many ways, the celebrity and entertainment world crosses paths with the
worldwide news world as well. Take the upcoming Presidential Election for
example. It has become more of a celebrity face-off than an actual presidential
campaign. All the candidates are using social media to get their news and
opinions out into the world more than they have ever before. This news has
become an example of infotainment. It is no longer just to inform, it is
intended to entertain the viewers as well because the idea of entertaining is the
only way to get your news out there and viewed by millennials. Just this past
week, Yahoo cut out some of its digital magazines that can only be accessed
with some source of technology. In an article posted on Ad week titled “Yahoo
Is Shuttering 7 of Its 11 Digital Magazines” reporter Tim Baysinger says that
“Yahoo Food, health, parenting, makers, travel, authors and real estate will no
longer exist as stand-alone digital magazines. Instead, the publisher will
focus on its four remaining verticals: News, Sports, Finance and Lifestyle.”
Millennials have shown their interest in the certain news they want to learn
about, and media giants such as Yahoo are taking notice. Yahoo’s global editor
in chief Martha Nelson said in a statement, “While these digital magazines will
no longer be published, you will continue to find the topics they covered as
well as style, celebrity, entertainment, politics, tech and much more across
our network.” All media, especially politics, celebrity and entertainment, are
starting to not be possible without one another. On my own personal Twitter
feed, I follow a few celebrities and magazines, but no other news sources.
Right when I was scrolling through my feed, I saw Chrissy Teigen, a famous
model, tweet about Jeb Bush suspending his presidential campaign. Celebrities
are using their own social media accounts to not only promote themselves but to
also be involved in the social media world. They in a way are becoming “news
reporters” themselves. If you follow your favorite actress from your favorite
TV show, you are going to get the information and news they feel strongly
about. Celebrities are continuing to have a large impact and influence on many
of their followers. They know the power they have with one single ‘Tweet’ and
use these platforms to not only connect with their followers but to also try
and make a difference with what is happening all over the world that is
reported in our everyday news. While there is no doubt that millennials are
still finding out their information through other actual news sources, data has
suggested “social networks are exposing Millennials to more news than they were
initially seeking. A full 88 percent of Millennials get news from Facebook
regularly, and more than half do so daily.” (Young)
While
many may think that Millennials are only concerned with the news of who didn’t
receive a rose on last night’s Bachelor episode, they are also concerned about
the current events happening as well. In the article “4 lessons about
Millennials and news”, data showed that “eight-five percent of respondents said
that “keeping up with the news is at least somewhat important to them,” while
69 percent added that they consume news daily.”” The survey conducted polled
people ages 18- to 24 across the country, which are known as Millennials, gave
insight on what news organizations need to do in order to keep their “news”
involved in the social media world. And they aren’t just trying to keep up with
other social media networks. The article continues to explain “News
organizations attempting to court a younger audience aren’t just competing with
one another for eyeballs- they’re competing with Gmail and Netflix as well.
About 64 percent of respondents said they regularly keep up with the world
events when online, making news consumption the fifth most popular activity
among the other nine offered.” In order to be as successful with celebrity and
entertainment news, other news organizations have to keep involved with the
social media aspect of things considering that the way Millennials are gaining
their information and news intake is by their own social media accounts.
No matter what
type of news it is, social media is always reporting on something. The
different variety of news that happens around the world is available to us
through all different sources. With the rise of technology and social media,
the way we are able to access news is, in my opinion, one main factor as to why
certain ages are still learning about all different types of news. The
Millennial generation “tends not to consume news in discrete sessions or by
going directly to news providers. Instead, news and information are woven into
an often continuous but mindful way that Millennails connect to the world
generally, which mixes new with social connection, problem solving, social
action, and entertainment,” (Young) There is constantly something happening
through out the world, whether it be “real news” or celebrity news, but it is
imperative that we keep up to date with both.
Works Cited:
"How
Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Uberti, David.
"4 Lessons about Millennials and News." Columbia Journalism Review.
N.p., Mar. 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
"Yahoo Is
Shuttering 7 of Its 11 Digital Magazines." AdWeek. N.p., n.d. Web.
21 Feb. 2016.
To answer your question, you are not the only person whose social media platforms are filled with celebrity and entertainment accounts rather than news/political ones. Similarly to you, I get most of my news through social media. I am very interested in fashion and celebrity gossip, so I find myself scrolling through the Kardashian’s Instagram instead of reading the newspaper. When looking at traditional news, I mostly use links that I see on Facebook and Twitter. Although this may sound silly, as there are real news platforms, using social media as a source for traditional news is becoming a trend. A study conducted by Pew Research Center shows, “…majorities of Twitter (63%) and Facebook users (63%) now say each platform serves as a source for news about events and issues outside the realm of friends and family” (Mitchell, 2015). What is interesting to me, however, is the difference in the way that I view traditional news media and celebrity gossip and the way my parents do. My mom is in the film entertainment business, and gathers most of her news about celebrity culture through traditional trade publications such as The Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, and sometimes US Weekly. For any other kind of news, she uses one source: The New York Times. As for my Dad, he does not keep up with celebrity culture, but does use apps such as NY Times and CNN, and of course reads the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that my parents and are in two different generations, which means we may have different views on technology and the news as a whole. Many of my friends and people in my generation view the news the same way that I do. In the article, “How Millennials Get News: Inside the Habits of America’s First Digital Generation,” the author states, “Millennials consume news and information in strikingly different ways than previous generations, and their paths to discovery are more nuanced and varied than some may have imagined” (Young, 2015). With all this being said, which way is better? Is it a problem that my generations and others to come rely on social media as a way to gain information about what are going on in the world? In my opinion, this could be a somewhat bad thing. Not because of the actual information itself, but the way that we are receiving it. There is something to be said about picking up a newspaper every morning and reading about the news. Or watching television and looking at live reports. Although this is may doable over social media, the habit of reading the newspaper everyday and consistently knowing what is happening in our world causes us to be better well-rounded people. I can honestly say that I do not watch/read the news as much as I should and this is because I do not have a solid platform to receive the information from. Yes, social media shows articles which link to the NY Times, but it is only the exciting and breaking news that I look at. Although celebrity culture and the news do overlap, it becomes alarming when people tend to think pop-culture is more important than traditional news. While it may be more entertaining, as we graduate and move into the real world, we as a generation have to know what is going on in our society and should be able to discuss and analyze it on a daily basis.
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Mitchell, Amy and Dana Page. "The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook." Pew Research Center. 15 July 2015. Web.
Michael Corigliano
ReplyDeleteIf we went back about 30 years ago, news was simply covered through journalism on televisions and newspapers across the world. People were able to get their updates on worldly news in a way that they thought was the best way possible. In todays day in age we see the Internet and all forms of social media overpowering other news outlets at times. It is not always a bad thing depending on how you look at it. The one problem that some millennials show is that a story about Taylor Swift can make more headlines then the millions of people who are in need in our country. According to a Pew Research project, “Entertainment news tops the list of topics Facebook news consumers report seeing” (Matsa, Mitchell). Although that is not always right, we should understand everyone needs a break from disheartening news. This can rather be seen as an upside for social media, since it allows people to get away from your regular worldly news and hear stories that are more entertaining.
Millennials have been known for taking in their news in small fragments, which social media should take credit for in a sense. More then any social media outlet, Twitter gives millennials a small dose of news when it comes to their 140-character limit. On occasion if a celebrity tweets about a story they might end up attaching a link to their tweet so people can look further into the story itself, therefore bypassing the 140-character limit. This is where I agreed most with your blog response, as you said celebrities are almost becoming newscasters by themselves and how fans are not following news sources, but instead listening to their favorite stars.
I believe Facebook has also become a major news source for millennials. Facebook’s newsfeed system allows people to scroll down and find articles on their homepage that cater to their interests. If the person enjoys the news they are reading about they can even share it with all of their friends online. It almost has become the sole reason as to why millennials go onto Facebook nowadays. A study was done and showed that “…88 percent of Millennials get news from Facebook regularly, for instance, and more than half of them do so daily” (Young). In particular I have seen a lot of political news on social media as you previously mentioned in your post. In a way we can view social media as helping millennials (who have never been known to care too much for politics) get more involved and educated on the elections through an outlet they know such as social media. I believe the idea of news is changing, but it is just like when the Internet first came into fruition and newspapers started to see a dip in sales. Whether a person receives news from social media or a journalist, it should be seen as reasonable as long as it is the correct story being told.
Work Cited:
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Matsa, Katrina Eva and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways About Social Media and News." Pew Research Journalism Project. 26 March 2014. Web.
I’ve never been much of a news person. I have to agree with you that most of who I follow on social media is celebrities or my actual friends/acquaintances. I almost never visit news websites. I follow my hometowns PATCH account on Twitter but rarely check it. The only time I go out of my way to read news is when I see it on Twitter or Facebook first. I personally don’t use Instagram for news like you had mentioned. I mostly find my news through friends and family, primarily on Facebook, like I had mentioned earlier. Majority of the time that I do view any kind of news, it is on my phone, I rarely use my computer for social media, I can’t even tell you the last time I opened Twitter on a desktop. According to the article State of The News Media 2015, I am a part of the majority. 39 of the top 50 digital news sites get more traffic on mobile devices than desktop computers. That is literally insane, now not only are millennials getting their news on their phones but also many others are including my parents. My mom is glued to her phone and my dad is constantly reading stuff on his phone whether it is about his companies stock or the most recent sports statistics. I honestly don’t think my parents even opted receive any kind of newspaper since they moved just over six months ago. Also the article The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook states that in 2015 majority (63%) got their news from Twitter or Facebook and many said they would keep up with news as it was happening on social media.
ReplyDeleteYoung mentions in How Millennials Get News that majority of 18 – 34 year olds get their news, the exact same way I am getting mine. You make a point in your blog that entertainment often crosses paths with worldwide news. There are times when I have found out information because Taylor Swift posted about it. It could have nothing to do with entertainment but I find it through a source of entertainment. And I cannot express how much I agree that followers of celebrities will support what their favorite celebrity tweets. I can’t say I’m really a crazy, obsessive follower of anyone but if Justin Bieber tweeted about loving Donald Trump, I’m sure majority of Justin’s followers would agree.
You made an interesting point about how most would think that millennials are more interested in who got that last rose than actual news. You then said that How Millennials Get News states that 85% keeping up with news is at least somewhat important and 69% said they consume news daily. These facts prove that millennials really are interested in keeping up with news. I think millennials are just as interested in news as anyone else, we just have other means of getting it. Social media is the reason that news isn’t dead yet. Like we have learned in many other lessons, millennials want instant gratification, we don’t have time to watch the news. We have everything we’d ever want to know about at our fingertips. We may not receive it the traditional way but times are changing and maybe social media will become the traditional way.
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
"The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook." Pew Research Center. 15 July 2015. Web.
“The State of News Media 2015.” Pew Research Center. April 2015. Web.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI whole-heartedly agree with you when you say that our generation, the Millennials, are more interested in “infotainment.” I have never really enjoyed listing or reading about the news. I do in fact enjoy listening and reading celebrity news though and I especially like having it at the tips of my fingers.
ReplyDeleteI do believe the use of social media as a news outlet is on the rise, or has risen. I haven’t heard anyone say “Hey did you see that story in the Times today?” but I have heard people say, “Hey did you see that story on twitter today?” It is crazy to think how much the times have changed. While I do agree that it is mostly our generation that is taking advantage of the use of social media as a news outlet, I do believe that it is also useful and is used but generations like the baby boomers, albeit they use it less, but it still is used. Baby Boomers all have iPhones, and a lot of them have Facebooks and Instagram accounts and can be receiving the news the same way Millennials are.
As I said I am all about the infotainment. I follow many celebrities on Instagram and I also follow E! News. Infotainment is my intake of “news” on a daily basis. On the other hand there are many Millennials that do use Instagram and Facebook to actually get real news information. “Fully 88 percent of Millenials get news from Facebook regularly, for instance, and more than half of them do so daily” (Young). Honestly I am just not one of those “88 percent of Millenials.”
In the article The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook, by Amy Mitchell there was a statistic that said, “on Facebook, women are more likely to regularly see posts about health, entertainments and people and events in their community”(Mitchell). I am rarely on Facebook anymore, but when I am on I don’t usually pay attentions to the articles posted about the news, I just skim over them most of the time.
Skimming is really how I would describe my intake of news. When I am on Facebook or other social media sites like Tumblr, and I see a post that catches my attention I skim realy quick to see what the headline is and see if it interests me and then ill move on. The real way I was getting my in take of news last semester was from this website called theSkimm, which I think is the perfect way for Millenials to get their intake of news. “theSkimm is an email newsletter for anyone short on time. No one wants to be the deer in headlight when someone says ‘did you hear about the latest in Syria?’ or ‘did you hear about Johnny Football?’ Our concept is simple. We read. You Skimm” (theSkimm.com). Now I know theSkimm is not a social media outlet but for me, theSkimm is the perfect way stay up to date with the latest news but in a very fun and easy way which is all Millenials want.
Overall when it comes to the news for Millenials, social media, in my opinion, is going up and up and up.
Work Cited
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Mitchell, Amy and Dana Page. "The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook." Pew Research Center. 15 July 2015. Web.
http://www.theskimm.com/welcome
You are certainly not the only one to say that their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook feeds are filled with more celebrity accounts than any news or political ones. In fact, I do not follow any news accounts or political accounts on any forms of social media. The way I get information about what’s going in the world is mostly through Facebook articles that other people have shared or posted, or tweets on Twitter that my followers have retweeted. While I don’t currently follow any news profiles, I have followed some in the past simply to follow times of crisis. For example, during the Boston Marathon bombings, I followed multiple new stations on Twitter so I could stay up to date on what was happening, particularly with the man hunt for the suspects. As stated in the article The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook, “the proportion of users who say they follow breaking news on Twitter is nearly twice as high as those who say they do so on Facebook (59% vs. 31%)” (Mitchell 2015). A few days after the incident however, I unfollowed the news profiles. I will also sometimes look at what is trending on Twitter to see what is going on around the Twitter world and see if there’s anything that interests me. On Facebook, I really only gather news from what other people have posted or shared on my news feed. If it catches my eye, I’ll click on it and read through.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s safe to say that the way we Millennials gather news information is much different from generations before us. For example, my parents, both baby boomers, continue to read the local newspaper everyday. They also watch the local news every night at 6pm while they eat dinner. I think people in my generation gathers their news information in different, less traditional ways. I feel like we tend to focus more specifically on social media outlets to obtain our information. There is less news gathering on traditional forms of media such as newspapers, television, and radio. According to How Millennials Get News: Inside the Habits of America’s First Digital Generation, it says that, “This generation, instead spends more time on social networks, often on mobile devices. The worry is that Millennials’ awareness of the world, as a result, is narrow, their discovery of events is incidental and passive…” (Young 2015). While tweets or Facebook posts may not have all the details of something right there, they do tend to have links so people can have all the information. It’s like seeing a headline in the newspaper and choosing whether or not it interests you and if you want to continue to read the rest of the article. Having millenials gather news information through social media outlets may actually be better. The information is right there at our fingertips and social media allows people the opportunity to interact with others and get more involved in what is happening right at that moment. I think Twitter is the best example of this because people have the opportunity to tweet something at anyone and say what they want in 140 different characters.
Works Cited:
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Mitchell, Amy and Dana Page. "The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook." Pew Research Center. 15 July 2015. Web.
Taylor Hoblitzell
ReplyDeleteI was interested to read in “How Millennials Get News” that millennials consume news in a “varied” way. (Young) I have found that social media and advancing digital technology provides us with varied everything. It not only makes us as consumers want to know more, it gives us well-rounded sources. You mention that Young also “explains that adults ages 18-34 do not visit news sites, read print newspapers, watch television news, or seek out news in great numbers”. (Young) I have to disagree. I do think that these numbers are shrinking. But I still read newspapers, visit news sites, and “seek out news in great numbers”. It is interesting because I use my phone to access news, I am not strictly on social media.
You bring up an interesting point about there being different topics of news that interest people. I never considered following a clothing line on Instagram to be a way to get “news”, but it is. This is how we find out when celebrities give birth, when a new album is coming out, or when a huge sale is coming up. Social media has definitely changed the present day idea and conception of news. The term infotainment certainly fits well in your blog post. 40 years ago, following celebrities, television shows or movies would not be considered news by any stretch of the imagination. News was simply traditional news. Infotainment is another reason proving how social media is changing the idea and conception of traditional news.
I completely agree with you when you say that the Presidential Election has become “more of a celebrity face-off than an actual presidential campaign”. I couldn’t agree more. Its interesting because I always see memes, tweets and Instagrams involving Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and (even though he is not in this upcoming election) President Barrack Obama. A handful of people I follow tweet about politics but for the most part, I see accounts making jokes involving them. It’s the strangest thing to me because even though they are not even kind of making a reference to politics, they are still getting candidate names out there and in a way they are promoting publicity for them. I think this contributes to the argument of why Buzzfeed has more shares than the New York Times. Its not that Buzzfeed is better or more respected, it is because Buzzfeed is more social. The New York Times is great for consumers who love to read about news. Whereas Buzzfeed is better for those who want a quick, simple, broken down idea about what is going on. Holmes brings up the point that after 10 articles a month, readers have to pay to continue reading. (Holmes) It makes complete sense to me why Buzzfeed would have more shares and I am glad that the author takes the stances saying “who cares”, because Buzzfeed and The New York Times are not in the same league of news.
Holmes, David. "Who Cares If Buzzfeed Has More Social Shares than the New York Times?" Pando. N.p., 19 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
One fact that the majority of people can agree with is that technology has allowed for almost everything in our life to be instant. You want talk to your best friend from another state? Text them and you can get a response within a minute. You want to check the hours of your favorite restaurant? Simple, go on your Safari app on your smartphone and simply type the name of it in and you’re good to go. The same notion goes for the news. If you want to get instant news of what’s happening around the world right now, at this very minute, you don’t just turn on your TV and pray that the news is on and the anchor is talking about it at that moment. No, you simply open your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or any one of your social media accounts and get the instant, up-to-date news.
ReplyDeleteI had never really been familiar with the term “infotainment” but now after understanding the definition of the word, I believe it makes complete sense. Millennials are not as easily amused as the generations before them. Now that we have so many different forms of entertainment through our technology, for anything to actually “entertain” us, it has to stand out, this includes news. I personally enjoy that I don’t have to specifically go out of my way to look for news. For example, I don’t have to turn my television on and watch “Good Morning America”. Rather, I can lie in bed in the morning and as I am scrolling through my social media feed I can find out what my friends have been up to as well as find the latest news stories. In our reading, How Millennials Get News, it stated, “This generation tends not to consume news in discrete sessions or by going directly to news providers. Instead, news and information are woven into an often continuous but mindful way that that Millennials connect to the world generally, which mixes news with social connection, problem solving, social action, and entertainment”. The way that we receive our news is ever changing, first print, then radio, then television, then through Internet websites and now through social media applications. Why even have to type in “www.cnn.com”? It’s much more convenient, and instant, to just follow the CNN Twitter account to get the latest stories.
Additionally, social media allows the everyday user to be their own news reporters. From my personal experience, I know that I can go on my Twitter feed and see what all my friends are talking about and find out what is happening in the news. If there is a newsworthy event, there’s a good chance that it is being talked about on social media by many people, not just verified news sources. The article “8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News” states, “Not only are social network users sharing new stories, but, particularly with the growth in mobile devices, a certain portion is contributing to the reporting by taking photos or videos.” Now with the great quality of pictures and videos on smartphone devices, a good amount of the images that we see on the news were actually taken from smartphones that were at the scene. Overall, social media has made a significant change in the way we receive news. Millennials wants instant gratification and in order to get that they use social media.
Works Cited:
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Matsa, Katrina Eva and Amy Mitchell. "8 Key Takeaways About Social Media and News." Pew Research Journalism Project. 26 March 2014. Web.
Rachel LaRotonda
ReplyDeleteI am the WORST when it comes to consuming news. I’m saying this whole-heartedly because I am your Grade-A “infotainment” user. Agreeing with your post, when it comes down to the bottom line of news reports, I genuinely lose interest. Just like you said, this increase in wanting to know more about celebrity and entertainment news because of the technology I have is undoubtedly true. With all the information I could possible want at my fingertips, my “lifeline” only interests me if it’s about entertainment media.
So how do we “infotainment” users get our media? It’s simple, constant scrolling. I think we can all agree that even taking it back to our elementary school days, no one wants to be left out. So why would I want to be the last one to know about what everyone is talking about? Even though I am “infotainment” centered person, there are times where “real news” will be a hot topic. If you’re a constant scroller like I am, it is bound to come up eventually. The Media Insight Project wrote in their study “How Millennials Get News: Inside the Habits of America’s First Digital Generation” that, “Mellennials also appear to be drawn into news that they might otherwise have ignored because peers are recommending and contextualizing it for them on social networks, as well as on more private networks such as group texts and instant messaging. Once they encounter news, moreover, nearly 9 in 10 report usually seeing diverse opinions, and three-quarters of those report investigating opinions different than their own.” If I didn’t find what’s everyone talking about today, my friends probably did. It is inevitable, if I didn’t find it, my friends in our group chat probably already did. Just like everyone else, if I don’t know what they’re talking about, I’ll look up an article, read it, and then be able to jump in on the group discussion. I think that consuming media like this is more positive than what most people think. I’m forced to know what is going on in the world around me, if I want to stay current with the latest buzz.
Now moving past getting my news from friends or family, if I am the one who finds an article or video worth sharing and discussing, I probably found it on one of my social media platforms. “This increase in exposure to news, defined as information about events and issues beyond just friends and family, emerges as overall usage of each social site has remained steady. Close to two-in-ten (17%) U.S. adults use Twitter and two-thirds (66%) use Facebook, according to the survey. But, since the portion of users who get news on the social networks has grown, more Americans overall are getting news through each site: One-in-ten U.S. adults get news on Twitter and about four-in-ten (41%) get news on Facebook” (Mitchell, Amy and Dana Page).
I personally don’t see anything wrong with that. Face it, people like social media for a reason. If that means having to put breaking news stories and important information on these platforms, then so be it. More people will probably see it there then wait for the recap on the 5:00 news. Welcome to 2016, people!
Works Cited
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
Mitchell, Amy and Dana Page. "The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook." Pew Research Center. 15 July 2015. Web.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there are three paradigm shifts between how Millennials and prior generations view the news. The first is how it is received, the second is who or what it is received from, and the third is the sensationalism with which it is delivered.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s blog focuses on “infotainment,” and I find the strategies used by the traditional media conduits (such as the major television networks) to compete for views on new age media platforms to be quite interesting. It was only a generation ago that news anchors simply relayed the news with zero personal opinion or comment on the news itself. Today, however, networks encourage news anchors to build their own brands within the social media world in order to create discussion and increased viewership.
We also live in an age where “yesterday’s news” is now confined to publications printed the night before (or early morning hours of) the day of distribution. Furthermore, this practice conflicts with today’s media consumers who expect instant gratification and live news reports. We live in a world where breaking news is instantaneous and delivered as quickly as possible to media consumers. This process is aided by the use of mobile devices. Even with the aid of instantaneous news through social media platforms on our mobile devices, Millennials awareness on the world is confined: “This generation, instead spends more time on social networks, often on mobile devices. The worry is that Millennials’ awareness of the world, as a result, is narrow, their discovery of events is incidental and passive…” (Young). Due to the vast majority of entertainment news that trends on social networks and platforms, Millennials are not exposing themselves to a variety of diverse news.
Additionally, as consumers of “news,” new-age media consumers now have the ability to filter the kind of news they receive, so they no longer have to read the entire “news paper” to find relevant articles. Through personal filtering, millenials may choose to focus on entertainment news rather than substantive news stories. Social media has allowed entertainment news to flourish as a vast majority of people in the younger generations, such as Millenials, are more prone to view something that entertains them. A study conducted by Pew Research found “Millennials lag behind older generations in their interest in government and politics. When asked to choose among a list of nine topics, only about a quarter (26%) of Millennials name government and politics as one of the three topics they are most interested in. By comparison, politics ranks among the top three interests for roughly a third (34%) of Gen Xers and 45% of Baby Boomers” (Pew Research). Although the study does not infer the reasons behind this growing trend, based on my previous discussion, personal filtering, and the decision to focus on entertainment news, may be a factor behind this study’s findings. So although the millennial generation’s interest in the entertainment world, and all the different kinds of celebrities within it, is great for the entertainment industry, it is not great for our future.
In summary, consumers of news can choose how they receive it, who it’s from, when, and in what format. As we enter the last stages of “Baby Boomer” leadership, based upon their values, the interactive nature of news, commerce and entertainment is converging in a manner that blurs the lines between information (news) and commerce.
Works Cited:
Mitchell, Amy and Dana Page. "Millennials and Political News." Pew Research Center. 1 June 2015. Web.
"How Millennials Get News." The Media Insight Project. March 2015. Web.
I have to shamefully agree that I consume more “infotainment” than any other type of news. I want to reason that because of my generation, and the times I was raised in, I am more inclined to want to consume more entertainment news than political news. According to the Pew Research Center, “Millennials & Political News” report, younger adults have historically followed national news less closely than their older generations. This isn’t only in the Millennial generation that news is far less interesting to younger adults than older adults. “For decades, 18 to 29-year-olds (who currently make up a majority of millennials) have expressed less interest in politics and political news” (Gottfried, Jeffrey, Matsa, Eva, Katerina and Mitchell, Amy. 2015, p.6). For example, in 1996 only 49% of Millennials (18-29 year-olds) followed news about political figures and events in Washington. In that same year, about 60% of people ages 30 and older consumed the news about political figures and events in Washington. Fast-forward to 2012 and nothing really has changed. Now only 43% of Millennials, and 70% of people ages 30 and up consume political news.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I do consume any type of news is mostly through social media. For you, Instagram and Twitter are your go-to social media mediums for news consumption but my first go-to is Facebook. According to “8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News” Facebook users report that entertainment (73%) is the most popular news topic seen on Facebook (Matsa Eva, Katerina & Mitchell, Amy, 2014.) Which is mostly what I go to Facebook for.
Albeit, this doesn’t mean that I don’t consume any political or current news at all at 22 years old. I don’t go to Facebook to specifically consume the news. “78% of Facebook news users mostly see news when on Facebook for other reasons” (Matsa Eva, Katerina & Mitchell, Amy, 2014). I go on Facebook to see what my friends are up to, and scroll through my newsfeed which is filled with tons of news articles. Number three in “8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News” is ‘Getting the “news” on Facebook is an incidental experience’ (Matsa Eva, Katerina & Mitchell, Amy, 2014). I am more inclined to click on a news clip the more times it is shared and posted on my newsfeed rather than tune in to a TV network for more than 5 minutes. This way of consuming the news mirrors my generation.
Where do millennials consume most of their political news then? The answer is Facebook. “About six-in-ten online Millennials (61%) report getting political news on Facebook in a given week, a much larger percentage than turn to any other news source, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis” (Mitchell & Page, 2015, pg. 2).” What I find most interesting is that this lower interest in news among young adults is not unique to millennials, because historically younger adults have been less interested. Does that go to say that as we get older, we become more interested in political news? Or do younger adults become even less interested every year? How do you think the future is going to look in terms of people accessing news and will news networks still be alive? These are important things to think about in terms of delivering the news and ways to make it accessible to people of all ages for the future.
Overall, I also think that it is also important to keep up to date with current news, no matter what medium choice you prefer to consume it on.
Works Cited
Matsa, Eva, Katerina and Mitchell, Amy. "8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News." Journalism.org. Pew Research Journalism Project, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. .
Gottfried, Jeffrey, Matsa, Eva, Katerina and Mitchell, Amy. "Millennials and Political News." Pew Research Centers Journalism Project RSS. Pew Research Center, 01 June 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. .
Markella Damianos
ReplyDeleteThe news is becoming more of a grey area everyday. Although I am not a news watcher myself, I fall under Young’s description of not seeking it out: “data suggested adults age 18-34-so called Millennials- do not visit news sites, read print newspapers, watch television news, or seek out news in great numbers. This generation, instead, spends more time on social networks, often on mobile devices” (Young). The only time I usually see the news is if my parents leave it on. When I do glance at it, often times I find the new reporting about celebrities and their lives. Personally, when I see that, I change the channel. If I wanted to watch about celebrities I would go on Facebook or watch the Insider. The news, for me, is not about celebrities.
When I do want to know about what is going on in the world, I usually find out through what is trending on Facebook. Often times, I just read the little blurb; other times, I go to bigger news sites to find out more. I fall into Young’s category of Millennial: “Millennials consume news and information in strikingly different ways than previous generations, and their paths to discovery are more nuanced and varied than some may have imagined” (Young). In general, I do not stay informed. When I was taking Journalism 160, Professor Yanity had current events quizzes every week. These quizzes forced me to get informed. I found myself looking at websites I had never Googled so I can do well on the quizzes. It was the first time I took an interest in what was going on and I liked being informed.
I also find that most of my news comes from unusual outlets. I am big fan of Saturday Night Live, I constantly look up clips from favorite episodes or rewatch episodes. Saturday Night Live has some of the funniest political sketches on television. After watching them, I sometimes find myself wanting to learn more about the issue or person they are making fun of. Mitchell and Page highlight how there is a difference between Millennials and Baby Boomer’s get their news: “Millennials’ relatively low reliance on local TV for political news (37% see news there in a given week) almost mirrors Baby Boomers’ comparatively low reliance on Facebook (39%)” (Mitchell, Page). I think many Baby Boomers and Millenials are like me and get their news from Saturday Night Live sketches.
The news is a grey area because news is no longer just news and people no longer get it from television and newspapers.
Works Cited:
Mitchell, Amy, and Dana Page. "Millennials & Political News: Social Medial - The Local TV for the Next Generation?" PewResearchCenter (2015): n. pag. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Young, Eric. "How Millennials Get News: Inside the Habits of Americas First Digital Generation." The Media Insight Project (2015): n. pag. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Markella Damianos
ReplyDeleteThe news is becoming more of a grey area everyday. Although I am not a news watcher myself, I fall under Young’s description of not seeking it out: “data suggested adults age 18-34-so called Millennials- do not visit news sites, read print newspapers, watch television news, or seek out news in great numbers. This generation, instead, spends more time on social networks, often on mobile devices” (Young). The only time I usually see the news is if my parents leave it on. When I do glance at it, often times I find the new reporting about celebrities and their lives. Personally, when I see that, I change the channel. If I wanted to watch about celebrities I would go on Facebook or watch the Insider. The news, for me, is not about celebrities.
When I do want to know about what is going on in the world, I usually find out through what is trending on Facebook. Often times, I just read the little blurb; other times, I go to bigger news sites to find out more. I fall into Young’s category of Millennial: “Millennials consume news and information in strikingly different ways than previous generations, and their paths to discovery are more nuanced and varied than some may have imagined” (Young). In general, I do not stay informed. When I was taking Journalism 160, Professor Yanity had current events quizzes every week. These quizzes forced me to get informed. I found myself looking at websites I had never Googled so I can do well on the quizzes. It was the first time I took an interest in what was going on and I liked being informed.
I also find that most of my news comes from unusual outlets. I am big fan of Saturday Night Live, I constantly look up clips from favorite episodes or rewatch episodes. Saturday Night Live has some of the funniest political sketches on television. After watching them, I sometimes find myself wanting to learn more about the issue or person they are making fun of. Mitchell and Page highlight how there is a difference between Millennials and Baby Boomer’s get their news: “Millennials’ relatively low reliance on local TV for political news (37% see news there in a given week) almost mirrors Baby Boomers’ comparatively low reliance on Facebook (39%)” (Mitchell, Page). I think many Baby Boomers and Millenials are like me and get their news from Saturday Night Live sketches.
The news is a grey area because news is no longer just news and people no longer get it from television and newspapers.
Works Cited:
Mitchell, Amy, and Dana Page. "Millennials & Political News: Social Medial - The Local TV for the Next Generation?" PewResearchCenter (2015): n. pag. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Young, Eric. "How Millennials Get News: Inside the Habits of Americas First Digital Generation." The Media Insight Project (2015): n. pag. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.