Social and Traditional News Media

Social media has changed modern communication. Smartphones and internet connections may spread information worldwide. This contrasts with the past, when individuals used traditional media to communicate. Internet technology has created several social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and others. Social media now performs practically all news media duties in the US and abroad. Thus, the function of social media and traditional news in modern American culture and the integrity of news dissemination must be discussed.

Social Media in Modern American Society

Social media platforms now play roles in society that were inconceivable decades ago. First, networking sites are essential for spreading information swiftly. This has improved community protection from rising global dangers. Social media has helped convey awareness and coordinate responses to disease outbreaks, terrorism attacks, and natural disasters (Vermeer et al., 2020). However, social media has led the fight against US social and political inequalities. Social media has showed police violence that killed people.

Social media networks sometimes struggle with information veracity. Since social media platforms are open-source, they should verify content to prevent misinformation. 16,000 Trump tweets were deleted and restricted to prevent misinformation (Stjernfelt & Lauritzen, 2020). Social media misrepresentation concerning COVID-19 is another example. They must identify and remove such content from their platform.

Traditional News Media in Modern America

For decades, Americans have relied on radio, print, and television news. The media’s business news, ads, and programming impact buyers and sellers. Traditional media has promoted democracy in politics by providing accurate information to voters. This is why traditional news media must tell the public accurately.

In 2020, the media exposed Trump’s government’s lies, which helped Joe Biden win (Stjernfelt & Lauritzen, 2020). The media’s exposure of Trump’s administration’s lies moved many voters to Biden. Strycharz et al. (2018) found that media coverage of Shell, ING, and Philips closing prices greatly influenced stock price variations between 2014 and 2015. This affects investors’ and stakeholders’ corporate ownership purchases and sales.

Conclusion

Since social media and traditional news sources are used differently, both help distribute information. Anyone may distribute information on social media. The only issue is that social media information is mostly unreliable. However, Americans trust traditional news sources for accurate information, reinforcing their role in society.