Social Media + News = Good News

Social media is a great tool. Its many facets allow us to be anything we want to be. We have a plethora of information literally at our finger tips. A few buttons to press and you can find out anything you wish. Social media has allowed your everyday run of the mill people to become "reporters" of a sort. They have an outlet, a blog, vlog, tumblr, twitter, etc., and use it to bring news or information that interests them to light. I believe that the quality of news and information has been greatly increased since the rise of social media. Some people spend time finding things out, either reading/watching “normal” news, such as CNN, Global, CBC, etc., and then comment on it, review it, analyse it. Then, people that would not ordinarily have seen the original news now have the opportunity to, since it is now more available to them in a place they frequent more often than news websites. Social media helps news spread – and rapidly at that. A single tweet can spread around through retweets and favorites like a virus, allowing this quick information to be utilized by thousands of people who will then take it and post their view on their own facet of social media. The younger generations on the internet – the teenagers – don’t want to go on the Globe and Mail website and read articles, it doesn’t interest them. However, through following vloggers on YouTube, seeing posts on BuzzFeed, or simply wandering around on the web gives them glimpses of events that are currently occurring around the world. Hopefully these small blips of information will inspire them to learn more. It is great that social media allows so many more people to be actively involved in the happenings around the globe.