Rumour has it!

The web has transformed and reshaped everything in the virtual world. Blogging, texting, and tweeting are all immediate personal reports and social commentary coming from the streets and the homes of ordinary citizens. More than ever, people are now getting their news first from platforms such as the web. News reporting from the average citizen is now as easy as record, upload, and view. The social network revolution has allowed anyone with a blog to be a reporter, and any individual with a cell phone to be a photographer or videographer.  News editors are now anyone who has a Facebook, Twitter or Youtube account.

Social media expedites information faster than newsroom editors can write and release reports in the traditional fashion. Journalists are often competing with average citizens for breaking news. Anyone in a crowed can capture a video or photo of a tragic event showing first hand account and upload it for public consumption. Social media is having both positive and negative impact. Not everything that circulates is authenticated or completely accurate. The more sensational or perhaps outrageous the story, the faster it goes viral. Publicized untruths, for example, rumoured deaths of celebrities and other exaggerated stories can spread like wildfire and be hurtful or damaging in a matter of hours.  

Newsfeeds, blogs, and groups have evolved and changed the way we network with each other, using visual technology. New reporters and journalists are now using these networking sites not only to broadcast their stories but also in getting their leads and sources.

I think that sometimes the quality of news is enriched due to a collective commentary and a variety of opinions and reports.  The media is not always controlling what is published!  The decreased quality of news reporting in this day and age is the question of accuracy of facts and stories.  Individuals have to be careful what they perceive to be real. 

iLife, yes there will soon be an app for that!

Social media has had a major impact on society today. Of course with all significant changes come the positive and negative things with them.  Social networking is everywhere, and virtually everyone has access to the internet to stay connected. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are a great way for us to stay connected. They can increase social interactions and help build relationships. 

I agree that social media and networking has become more than just a convenient way to build long distance relationships. This major increase in social globalization has as many negative aspects as positive. The most controversial aspect is privacy. When something is posted; whether it be a picture, a status update or a comment on a video, you loose complete control over it. Once scanned by web search engines, it will be there forever. A decrease in personal privacy is the result, and social publicity increases. Jure Klepic states that  “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas; what happens on Twitter stay on Google forever!”.

More convenient, of course! Is it beneficial, not really?  People are being consumed by the global phenomenon of communicating through multiple devices, anywhere, anytime, instantly. The face-to-face personal encounters are becoming less frequent and less important (Facetime does not count). Many employers are requesting applicants to apply through online sites instead of connecting in person. Confident handshakes, eye contact and smiles are disappearing. DSLR photoshopped images are replacing them.

Another issue with social networking sites is the superficial sense of self worth that is displayed, especially with its younger audiences. People are becoming voyeurs and “Facebook creepers” wasting countless hours, on discovering unimportant information and a good percentage of it being misleading. It’s time consuming, distracting and highly addicting. Some statistics say that there are more than 500 million active Facebook users, or 1 in every 13 people on earth. Wow!

Information is constantly being stored about an individual. These files are called Digital Dossiers. It is an accumulation of every single digital file of you.  Your Facebook accounts, Emails, credit card purchases and even security camera video are tracked of you. We need to aware, very VERY aware.

"You are what you tweet!"