Webupon

Image via Wikipedia

 Social Media’s Impact

If you have been following the news for the past year or so, you will have heard that social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and especially blogs) is all-powerful.  Most people in the mainstream media (MSM in the blogosphere) believe that had it not been for social media, Obama might not be the President of the United States; the Iranian protests over the election would not have been nearly as widespread—and even if they were we, the people outside Iran, would not know about them.  Or, as Andrew Sullivan put it in his blog, the Daily Dish, “the Revolution will be twittered”.  But what is this “social media” everyone is talking about?

What is It?

Well, for starters it isn’t all politics.  Far from it.  My favorite fashion blog, for example, is The Thoughtful Dresser and while it does touch on politics from time to time (see the most recent entry on Iranians’ right to bare arms) it does so from a decidedly clothes-centered point of view.  Nor would my day be complete without at least a cursory visit to my favorite book blogs, the Book Lady and BookFox and I am told (although I don’t follow sports at all) that Some People are on the Pitch is an excellent soccer blog.  If you are looking for a job these days, you should visit craigslist and a blog (or ten) that specialize in your industry.  Freelance and would-be freelance writers, for example, would be well advised to start their days with the Freelance Writing Jobs Network.

How to Use it?

 If participating in the social media is beginning to sound a lot like reading a newspaper, that’s probably because it is.  All the sections you would typically expect to find in your local paper are to be found (at least as easily) in your favorite blogs.  I don’t think this is an accident.  For while newspapers have (with reason) been bemoaning the decline of the daily paper, others have noticed that online readership has been growing.  One could therefore speculate that at least some people are turning away from their morning daily paper and to their ever-present computer screen.

The Future ofJournalism (Maybe)

Perhaps that is why Slate recently opined that thanks to the social media there may be “a flood of new entrants into the field [of journalism which] could portend a journalistic renaissance.”  In fact, one of my favorite political bloggers, Oliver Kamm, has recently been recognized by the MSM.  He now writes the leader for the Times of London.  And his blog is (in my opinion) well worth any political junkie’s time.

Related Article:

The Freelance Writer and the Internet