Newspapers are Becoming Old News as Social Media Takes Over

This week, Mashable posted an article about the influence of social media on the news industry. It is no question that websites such as Facebook and Twitter have become more and more important in the world of current events. However, there are pros and cons to social media news. On a positive note, the Internet allows immediacy, everyone can report the news, stories disseminate quickly, and cell phones can go everywhere. On the other hand, there is less room to tell the story (140 characters on Twitter), inaccurate facts sometimes, journalistic integrity could be compromised, and amateur reporters put themselves or others in harm's way to get the scoop.

These are some interesting statistics I found regarding social media news:

• Over 50% of people have learned about breaking news via social media rather than official news sources
• Hudson River plane crash - Twitter
• Whitney Houston's death - Twitter
• Announcement of the royal wedding - Twitter
• Egyptian uprising - Facebook
• 46% of people get their news online at least three times a week
• As of 2012, online news revenue has surpassed print newspaper revenue
• Facebook is the strongest online news source, with 59.5% of users
• 49.1% of people have heard breaking news via social media that turned out to be false

While social media news has its advantages and disadvantages, one thing is undeniable: it is here to stay. Getting the news online is becoming the norm for most households. In a few decades when the new generation takes over, I believe that newspapers will become a thing of the past.