Social Media vs. Traditional News Platforms: A Generational Divide
How differences in media affect perception of current events.
by KATE WALKER ★ JULY 12, 2020
Ever since its launch, social media has touched every aspect of our lives, and where we receive our news is no exception. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and most notably, Twitter, act as the prime source for Generation Z and Millennials to receive their news and stay updated on current events. On the other hand, traditional news platforms such as CNN, Fox, and BBC seem to be more reserved for Baby Boomers, Generation X, and older generations alike when it comes to being informed about the world we live in. In a time of civil unrest, much like we are seeing today in America, the generational divide of what media platforms we rely on for our news and its effects on our perception of current events has never been so prominent.
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Social media platforms:
Generation Z and Millennials have adopted social media into every aspect of their daily lives. In some ways, these platforms act as an extension of themselves and their identities. Social media has quickly become a place to discover breaking news and it provides an easy platform to share relevant words, images, and videos. Instagram offers a great space to share images and infographics. To contrast, TikTok and Twitter are popular platforms to share videos and pertinent information (all while sticking to Twitter’s word count of 280 characters). Twitter’s constantly updating records of up-to-the-minute reactions have in some instances threatened to usurp media coverage of breaking news. It has also helped many celebrities, athletes, politicians, and average people to bypass the media to get their message directly to their audience and gain a closer relationship with them. These social media platforms, specifically Twitter, allow individuals to share candid and unfiltered personal narratives and first-hand experiences with their audiences. There is no ulterior motive or political view journalists are pressured to maintain and thus, users receive raw “behind-the-scenes” information on current events.
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In the past few months, social media platforms have been consumed by images and videos relevant to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the numerous protests occurring. “Behind-the-scenes” content, which would otherwise not be revealed on traditional news platforms, finds the space to be seen on social media. Personal narratives relating to police brutality and videos exposing the reality of the treatment of protesters at the hands of officers have been circulating around these platforms. This allows viewers to see the reality of the situation even if they are not at the site of the conflict itself. This unfiltered exposure to current events, coming directly from the source, affects our perception of the events as we are constantly being consumed by clips and information from a plethora of people and perspectives. Traditional platforms often tend to pick and choose which events to cover and when to do so. When it comes to social media, information is constantly being shared and circulated across platforms even after the “trend” is over, and in many cases, groundbreaking information is first shared and seen on social media platforms-straight from the source. Social media allows for issues like racism and police brutality to be exposed to the public on both a large scale and a small scale, whereas these events would not get the coverage they needed previously on traditional news platforms.
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Traditional news platforms:
Traditional news platforms existed as the sole outlet of information regarding current events since the creation of newspapers in the 17th century. As technology evolved and the television was created, news networks became the largest and most reliable form of mass media. Older generations, such as Baby Boomers and Generation X, have grown up with news networks and newspapers as their only source of information regarding current events and thus, prefer it as opposed to modern social media platforms.
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There is a surplus of news networks, the most popular being CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and BBC News. However, differing to social media platforms, each news network corresponds with different political views. Although there are exceptions, each network contains its own unique community of audiences which corresponds to different political views and perspectives. This makes it extremely hard to not receive unbiased news through these networks, cultivating a culture that is not familiar with being exposed to challenging views and perspectives on current events.
In regards to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the dissecting of racism within America, the stark contrast between social media platforms and news networks and how they communicate current events has never been so striking. The generations of our parents and grandparents naturally gravitate towards traditional news networks because they feel they are the most reliable and factual source of information. Yet, each news network portrays current events in a different light, and often focuses on “breaking news,” only to move on to the next significant headline the next day. We see this in the network’s portrayals of the Black Lives Matter protests. When the protests were just beginning, news networks were plastered with the protests mass numbers and huge destruction. As the movement progressed and protests did not stand out as much anymore, andas looting slowly died down, the media progressed to the next headline, largely failing to highlight the movement’s successful momentum. Additionally, news networks often fail to shine a light on the “behind-the-scenes” of major current events, leaving their audience in the dark. and thus, are a large and important aspect of events that are hidden to their audience.
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In this tumultuous time of change within America, staying updated with current events is our duty as citizens. As a Gen Z-er? myself, I am proud of the passion and activism that exists within my community, and how we respond when injustice occurs. I believe this fuel and anger that exists within so many of us is rooted in social media and the immediate access to images and videos revealing the personal narratives and “behind-the-scenes” clips it allows. The world appears much smaller, and traditionally marginalized groups can obtain a platform to share their voices, creating a more compassionate and humanizing community. Untraditional social media platforms allow multiple sides of a story to be told, as well as communication between two sources, whereas news platforms often focus on one perspective and restrict communications between the “end-points.”
Although there are pros and cons to receiving your news on either social media or traditional news networks, how we perceive current events is heavily influenced by which media source we choose to rely on. Be conscious of this and stay updated on the world around you, it’s our duty! Actively seek multiple sides of the story and don't fear opposing views and beliefs, and instead, invite them.