Recently, most people have adopted the assumption that social media is slowly becoming the more popular media and that traditional media (print, Television, and radio) is dying out. But what if I were to tell you that these types of platform are just evolving the news into something bigger and better? Social media and traditional media can and have been able to coexist.
Now, this is not to say there are not some stark contrast to these types. Social media is immediate, two-way communication and it is literally everywhere. But, with everything, there are some drawbacks in allowing everyone to be writers. The credibility of the source material on social media can be called into question. Traditional media is viewed as more credible and constructed professionally for the audience. But, traditional media has to be made ahead of time and it won’t hit the audiences near as fast as social media. What has been happening is the combination of social and traditional to give audiences immediate and professional content.
Further, traditionally used to be a one-way communication platform. With the introduction of social media, a conversation can begin with stories and stories can continue to be updated. Traditional media is not the only one that benefits from this union of platforms. Social media can utilize traditional media stories and can be promoted via the traditional media outlets.
Television shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Big Bang Theory have been able to integrate social media into their episodes by posting Tweets during the shows airing and asks questions from audiences, continuing the conversation. The Big Bang Theory is going as far as can even win rewards for liking, commenting, and sharing about the show. Radio stations now promote ticket giveaways via Twitter and hold social media polls to be discussed for on-air breaks.
So, instead of thinking that having both of these mediums would result in a funeral, we should probably be planning a wedding.
