#1 Defining News

The news can come in all different forms, for example, the news that we watch on the television newscast, social media, the newspaper, and websites. According to Merriam Webster, the news is defined as "a report of recent events, previously unknown information or something having a specified influence or effect." 

In the world we live in today, we get the majority of our news from social media. Yes, I understand that there are still newscasts but as social media has grown over the years I feel as if the numbers that actually watch TV have gone down. Same thing with newspapers. As social media advances, you will see a decrease in people reading the newspaper. Nicole Martin says "In a recent survey, 50 percent of Internet users surveyed said that they hear about the latest news via social media before ever hearing about it on a news station. Many internet users will see breaking stories on their feed and go to the news to learn more." Growing up, I don't ever remember my parents watching the news on the TV or reading the newspaper but I vividly remember my grandparents sitting in the living room reading the newspaper together. It is interesting to see how people have adapted to the new ways of receiving the news. Today, even my grandparents get their news either from the TV or from social media on their phones. 

                       

In today's time, I feel like social media affects the news in a good and bad way. I feel as if social media exaggerates the news in a way. People are always hungry for something interesting to happen to the point where they may make a story seem more stretched than it actually is. Before social media, the only way to receive news was the newspaper and television. The only news there was, was information that came straight from the source whereas today there are many sides to every story. Receiving the news through social media does have its perks like getting our news almost as instant as the event happens. 

As you can tell, social media has definitely changed over the years. Some may view the news as a very important part of their day and others may see it as a waste of time. I feel as if the news is a very convenient way to stay engaged in what is happening in our world. As far as the news coming from social media goes, I think you just have to be careful what you believe is true these days.