Societal Expectations for
Mass Media –
With
the advent of the Internet and social media, our society has come to anticipate
a higher level of expectation regarding mass media. Long gone are the days
where journalists had time to gather pertinent facts, verify information,
qualify whether a source is credible, etc. Social media has become rather
instant gratification regarding news media. Obviously, this leads to more
margin for error since journalists are trying to be the first new organization
with the late breaking story.
An article by Northern Illinois University Department of Communication
professor, William P. Cassidy, gives interesting information regarding the
journalists’ view of online news credibility. Cassidy’s main research consists
of online journalism and influences on news media content. His article reveals
that the journalists’ view feels that online news sites do not meet the same
standards as traditional sources. Furthermore, they tend to rate the credibility
of online news sites lower than the general public. Their skepticism of
credibility stems from valid concern over the speed at which stories are posted
online, which makes mistakes more common in reporting. The results of this
research provide key insights into the evolving role of journalists as
“gatekeepers” in the online environment. Additionally, the results prove that
traditional journalists are beginning to incorporate the validity of online
journalism into their professional principles.
As mentioned in a
previous post, some journalists see their function in mass media as evolving
into a role of “interpreter” as opposed to a “gatherer” or “disseminator”
(Singer, 1998). However, some journalists use interactive media to gather
information in addition to disseminating it. Perhaps the journalist’s role is
to be interpreter since our society is inundated with information from all
types of mediums – newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet, mobile
devices, etc. After all, being saturated with so much information leaves the
audience in a constant state of stimulation.
As a result, our society constantly feels the need to be entertained –
even in death. Yes, that’s right. Pause Ljud & Bild, a Swedish company that
sells audio equipment, has developed a product called the CataCombo Sound System.
This contraption features a two-way speaker that pipes your pre-selected,
post-death music into the coffin. In fact, if you want to keep your “playlist
fresh and up-to-date with the latest hits, you can set it up as a collaborative
playlist so that your friends and loved ones can keep adding tracks even after
you’re gone” (Kotenko, 2013). If jamming to my playlist in the afterlife isn’t
a high expectation, I don’t know what is.
Cassidy, W. (2007). Online News Credibility: An
Examination of the Perceptions of
Newspaper Journalists. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
doi:
10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00334.x
Kotenko,
J. (2013). This Casket Streams Spotify So You Can Keep on Shuffling
Into the Afterlife.
Singer,
J. (1998). Online Journalists: Foundations for Research into their Changing
Roles. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Volume 4, Issue 1.
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