We Are the News

Two weeks ago, as we saw the full aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings, I started thinking about the way we gather our news and how the process has evolved over the years.

As I noted in an earlier post, as soon as the bombs went off, I headed to Facebook to see what was going on. Coming from a journalism major, that is a pretty big deal. After all, I wanted live action from the people truly affected and Facebook is a great way to get it.

The opinions are unbiased, sadly something that is not always common with traditional news outlets, but more importantly, you can feel the emotion when you gather news from your friends and family. I could watch CNN for exclusive interviews from those involved, but why not get the same from the people I actually know and trust? When you think about it, it's targeted news.

All the advances with iPhones, mobile and social media have allowed the public to become our own news source. It is truly one of the great benefits our society has seen from technology over the past ten years.

I no longer have to wait for the Sun-Times to report who won the Sox game. I no longer have to wait for a phone call to hear if the girl of his dreams said yes to the big question (which happened this weekend by the way). I can get the news as soon as they share it with the world. Once again, targeted news for me when I want it.

Who needs traditional news outlets when you have your friends and social media? 

Social Media is the New News

If you have kept up with this blog, or many others for that matter, you have seen everyone and their mothers write about the Boston Marathon Bombings. Of the many lessons I have learned from this tragedy, one that stands out to me is that our entire nation is starting to view news in a different manner from different sources.

As a former journalist, as soon as news broke of the two bombings, you would think I would head to The Boston Herald or The New York Times. Not in 2013. The first news source I went to was Facebook. After doing a little digging, I found out I wasn’t the only one. Instead of hearing from the professionals, I wanted to see and view the story through the eyes of my friends and family. Just saying this puts a cringe in my stomach, but that is the way our world is going.

Who can blame us? When every citizen out there is their own reporter, with smartphones capable of taking HD video or photos and instantly posting them online, why wait for the dinosaurs to report? We now live in a day an age of the 24/7 news cycle and with the help of Vine, Facebook, Twitter and every other social network out there, professional news sources are losing credibility by the day.

I realize that any news I see on Facebook won’t be 100% accurate. Hell, it may not be 1% accurate. Nonetheless, the fact that a former journalist who still believes in the true power and responsibility of good reporting went to Facebook instead of an established news source shows that our world is truly evolving before our very eyes.

At school, they called the idea of citizens reporting the news citizen journalism. Supposedly, this has been going on for centuries. I wonder if they ever knew it would get this far.

Where did you go online when you heard of the Boston Marathon Bombings?

Social Media has Caught Up with the Times

Yesterday, America witnessed another horrific action that will go down as a dark day in this country’s history. Two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15^th, leaving at least three dead and over a hundred wounded at the time of this post. It’s like these events just won’t stop.

Last year alone, we saw a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School killing over 20 children and another shooting at Movie Theater in Colorado killing 12. Combine that with the standard (and I realize how sad that is when I say standard) shootings every day across the country (especially in Chicago) and we just realize how inhumane our country really is.

Like any event of this nature, as soon as it happened, all social channels were turned off at WOMMA. Blogs, events, marketing news, membership, none of that matters in days like this. Any company who thinks otherwise should be out of the job. Sad to say, this wasn’t always the case.

After hearing about the shootings, I went to Facebook to see reaction around the country. The fact that I went to Facebook as opposed to CNN or New York Times is a topic for another day. Nearly across the board, I saw images and words expressing their condolences to anyone affected by this horrific action. Yes I saw some promo posts here and there, but mostly, whether it be a friend or a company I follow, the message was united and clear.

This has not always been the case. Even in extreme times of worry, certain brands just don’t understand the magnitude of dire events. I bring up the following example because it not only shows the true danger of scheduling messages, but also that some companies just don’t get it. After the Batman incident in Colorado, the NRA sent out a tweet the following morning (let me repeat, the following morning), “Goodmorning shooters. Happy Friday! Weekend Plans?” The outrage was huge both online and offline. After Sandy Hook, NRA made a wise choice and stayed silent across their channels.

I truly believe brands, agencies and most importantly, humans have come to realize there is more to life than work and money. It is moments like these that make you appreciate your health, your home, your friends, your family and your life. Sometimes, we sadly need these types of reminders to bring us down to earth, but judging by the reactions online yesterday, our society is moving in the right direction.