Social media has changed us all - for better or worse

Posted: December 4, 2011 - 12:31am

I feel old. Not that old. I am not even 50 yet. But when people talk about social media like Facebook and Twitter I start to twitter. And not online.

How people get information has changed so much over the past 20 years that you really need a score card.

Don’t misunderstand my confusion. But I came up through the ranks the old-school way. We didn’t have email when I was a reporter in the mid-80s and fax machines were relatively new. Now who uses a fax machine? They should be outlawed.

Back in the day — or in the 1980s — we did our reporting the only way we knew how. We called people and talked to them or we had face-to-face meetings with our sources.

I used to be amused when a reporter would tell me they emailed questions and were waiting for a response. I know people like to have things in writing so they can ensure they are not misquoted or their comments are “taken out of context” in their mind. But part of the fun of being a journalist is asking questions and not really knowing what you will get as an answer.

These days we have reporters who sometimes ask to use comments off Facebook or Twitter in stories. Again, I am old school and I would rather have the person say it and not post it online.

In my defense I have had a Facebook page for at least five years. I created it about the same time I created a My Space page. The reason five years ago was to keep an eye on my then 15-year-old nephew/Godson and what he was up to.

I never thought about using Facebook as a reporting tool. But I can embrace it and the changes that social media have brought to our profession.

Some newspapers are moving to ridding their websites of anonymous comments by using a comment model that attaches a Facebook account to the poster. It’s helped keep the vile and completely uncalled for online comments to a minimum.

We require letter to the editor writers to identify themselves and I think that it’s the best policy.

Newspapers like engaged readers — online or in print. It’s why we write news stories, editorials, columns and publish news. But we also like civil discussion and for people to feel like they can interact without then becoming the subject of personal attacks.

We live in a digital world. People have BlackBerries, iPhones, iPads and all those gadgets so they can be in the loop 24/7 if they so desire.

Information is powerful. Not having information is a helpless feeling.

Being able to check Facebook to see how my family and friends are doing and see photos of my five nieces and nephews is great. Seeing status updates about life-changing events is sometimes disconcerting. I just am not convinced that learning about someone’s death or horrible injury on Facebook is the way to go. But I am willing to listen to the pros and cons.

For better or worse, social media is here to stay. It’s no fad. How you use it and how it is moderated is up to you. But in the end, social media has changed us and how we communicate.

Editor Kathy Nelson may be reached at kathy.nelson@blufftontoday.com or 815-0800, Ext. 19.

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