GROUP 1 LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Student: Teacher Supervisor:
CINDY HARRIS Ms. Janelle Codrington
Are Facebook & Twitter substituting mainstream news outlets as primary source of information?
ABSTRACT
CATEGORY 2
The purpose of this extended essay is to identify the modern changes in the news industry and evaluate the evolution of the industry through the question; “Are Facebook and Twitter substituting mainstream news outlets as the primary source for information?” The thesis is that Facebook and Twitter will not be able to substitute mainstream media as the primary source, it is probable that they will merge to create a very interactive news cycle in the future. Social media could be slowly embedded into mainstream media. The scope of this essay incorporates how the general population consumes the news, and through which media outlets the population is drawn to now versus several years ago. The essay also includes in-depth analysis of the benefits limitations of social media accompanied with real-life situations and examples. Furthermore, the essay looks at how the traditional media, which is television news, newspapers and radio, have adapted to the changing the opinion and the rising use of social media and technology. After looking at all the information, the conclusion is that social media is becoming more comparable with mainstream media as a source for information however it will not completely replace the traditional media as the primary news source. This is due to factors such as reliability. Eventually, social media will no longer be considered as “new” media, will be one of the mainstream media outlets. The news cycle and system will also change into a much more user-friendly and have more audience interaction through social media. Social media is just a new platform for information following the advancements in technology and mobile devices.