New Media, Old Media

Is it pertinent that Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. are referred to a “social” media?  As I finished reading this article, my thought was that people probably gravitate to the “new” media for entertainment purposes more than for “news-worthy” content. However, this opinion is from someone who is currently only an occasional user of the new media! It seems to me that there is a need for both types of media, the traditional as well as the social. As stated in the article (pg. 2) “social media tend to hone in on stories that get much less attention in the mainstream press. And there is little evidence, at least at this point, of the traditional press then picking up on those stories in response.” From my limited perspective, there are several aspects to the new media that have an appeal: participation is relatively easy; there is immediate gratification when replying to a blog or a tweet, not so when writing a letter to the editor in response to an article or issue in the traditional sense and you don’t have to be an expert – everyone’s opinion seems to be “welcome”. The article definitely piqued my interest in looking a Twitter and You Tube, both of which I am sad to say I have never looked at before…