Revolution can be defined as the sudden, radical change in something. Our most famous example here in the U. S. Is, of course, the American Revolution. Another example well known to Americans is the 1960s counterculture revolution here and in most of Europe. An up-and-coming revolution currently taking place is the social media revolution.
Social media has changed people into producers of content instead consumers of content. In other words, the tail wags the dog. The way information and knowledge are spread has radically changed. The norm used to be broadcast media monologues, which is where one person disseminates information to the masses. Such familiar modes of this type are TV news broadcasts and newspaper articles.
These norms, however, are being made to exist side by side with what this new revolution is bringing about. Now, any number people may distribute given information to the masses. Everyone is now both receiver and distributor. Hence, these people are now known as content producers.
Several popular forms of this exist. One common form is easily recalled ideas or slogans made to galvanize others into repeating them frequently. Another form is print media designed to be scattered again to the public. A third form is the sharing from electronic media, including mobile devices and the Internet, with advanced search capabilities is a third. A final example is grass-roots direct action distribution, including public speaking, rallies, and demonstrations.
Major differences exist between social media and traditional media, also known as broadcast, industrial, or mass media. To start, because industrial media normally requires more resources to share what it knows, social media tends to be less expensive. It’s also more accessible, too. Next, in the structured world of traditional media, specialized training is imperative. In the unstructured world of social media, no such training is required. Social media can be used and operated by anyone.
Third, the impact on response time and newsworthiness has been profound. While in social media, this can be instantaneous, the same can take hours or even days in mass media. However, as the influence of social media on traditional media grows, this difference will probably become minimal.
A fourth difference is the issue of permanence. In social media, articles or blogs can be edited for content immediately and constantly, as is necessary. This is not true in traditional media, as once an article is published, it cannot be changed. Other things might be necessary, such as apologies or retractions, but the original article cannot be modified.
There are similarities between the two forms of media. They both are capable of reaching either a very small audience or a very large one. A TV newscast might be seen worldwide or just nowhere else but your small community. A blog post or tweet can reach the same range of people.
The future direction of social media and traditional media is, of course, unknown. One hypothesis is the hybridization of the two. In this scenario, what is known as community media is the use of the frameworks of both traditional and social media. In fact, this hybrid is already being commonly used in some corners.
Regardless of what the future holds, the social media tool is not whimsical. It is here to stay, though the direction is still unclear. Will hybridization continue to evolve? Will traditional media as we know it survive? Will the social media tool evolve so much that it consumes both the traditional and the hybrid? Stay tuned to your local media outlets.
