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The Term And Social Media

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The term “social media” is one that has been coined only since the beginning of the 20th century. In centuries prior, the earliest forms of communication were conducted through hand written letters dating back to 550 B.C. (Hendricks, 2013). Following this method of communication, the telegraph was invented, followed by the radio and telephone towards the end of the 19th century (Hendricks, 2013). It was not until the 20th century when the first versions of the “computer” were introduced. By the 1980’s, almost 100 years after the invention of the telephone and the radio, home computers and the use of email and online “chats” were beginning to be used (Hendricks, 2013). During the early 2000’s the popularity in social media sites such as …show more content…

In the past, major forms of broadcasting and journalism relied heavily on the printing press and newspaper stands to distribute and access newspapers. This meant the rate to which information was dispersed was limited to that of the geographic area. With the development and enhancements in social media and increases in the distribution of information, we can broaden the horizons to which information reaches and at an accelerated rate (compared to previous methods). Although the effects of social media on journalism are sometimes noted as controversial, advancements in communications via internet have created accessibility and public access to news at a much greater scale, across borders and within areas of interest. Nicholas Kristof, a New York times journalist explains how he “not only uses Twitter for short updates, but also Facebook for observations about something so many people in the world want to know about right now: the situation--the real situation--on the ground (in Egypt)." Reporters’ use of social media in journalism also allows for a dialogue of almost endless conversation, opinions and ideas. It is also noted that sites like Facebook are “implicitly, a more personal, and personalized, platform for news consumption than, say, The New York Times ' website (Carvin,

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