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Impact Of Social Media On Modern Journalism
[A CASE STUDY OF JOURNALISTS IN MAKURDI METROPOLIS]
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Journalism on the other hand is the deliberate and conscious efforts to
gather information, collating and analyzing data for the purpose of
informing, educating, and entertaining the people with a view of making
an appropriate decision (Qasim Akinreti; 2007). Journalism is also an
investigation and reporting events, issues and trends to a large
audience. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is
to inform the intended audience about topics ranging from government and
business organizations to cultural aspects of society such as arts and
entertainment. The field of journalism include; editing, photojournalism
and documentary (www.Wikipediathefreeencyclopedia.com).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The
impact of social media in today‟s world of communication, especially
journalism cannot be over-looked. Since its arrival social media have
certainly changed the way journalists work, how stories are developed
and disseminated. Social media have had positive impacts, without doubt,
but there are also concerns about their impact on productivity and the
disruption it could have on journalists‟ working patterns. Social media
have created a dependency among those working in the media and many are
unable to do without them.
Social media have become journalistic
lexicon and it seems sourcing information has overtaken self-promotion
as a primary social activity. While journalists are growing more sophisticated
in their use of social media, and are for instance, using a great
variety of tools to source for news, some journalists are less positive
about some of the ways social media affect their journalistic
activities, their engagement with their audience, their productivity and
the quality of their work. Based on these contrasting views, the
question this research seeks to answer is; how have social media
affected the journalists in Makurdi metropolis with regards to their
journalistic duties?
1.2 Objectives of the Study
The study had the following objectives:
1. To know if journalists in Makurdi metropolis are exposed to social media networking tools.
2. To find out the type of social media tools journalists in Makurdi metropolis prefer.
3. To determine whether social media have enhanced the productivity of journalists in Makurdi metropolis.
1.3 Research Questions
1. To what extent are journalists in Makurdi metropolis exposed to social media networking tools?
2. What type of social media tool do journalists in Makurdi metropolis prefer?
3. How have social media enhanced the productivity of journalists in Makurdi metropolis?
1.4 Research Hypothesis
H1:
There is significant difference between journalists in Makurdi
metropolis who use social media networking tools and those who do not.
1.5 Scope of the Study
This
study is focused on journalists in Makurdi metropolis and not
necessarily conclusive for journalists in other parts of Nigeria. Since
journalists share common characteristics and skills, data generated from
this study and the result obtained thereof, can be applied to all
journalists.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study will
be of immeasurable importance to journalists, media organizations, news
agencies, editors, lecturers and students in the field of journalism and
mass communication as well as other researchers who will want to embark
on same study as this.
The study will help journalists to source
useful information using social media networking tools as well as
provide them with a guide on how to write online stories. It will also
help journalists to interact with their audience and identify their
information needs. The study will also help journalists who have rarely
embraced social media to do so in order to increase their productivity.
1.7 Operational Definition of Significant Terms
A.
Social media: The term social media refers to the Internet-based social
networking websites developed to specifically help people share their
views and stay in touch with their friends, relatives and well wishers.
B.
Media: media in this study are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other
social media networking tools which journalists use to disseminate
information to a large heterogeneous audience.
C. Journalism: this is the practice of writing, editing, and disseminating information to the public.
D.
Modern journalism: it is a term used to describe the new era in
journalism where internet and computers are used in almost every
journalistic activity.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The aim of this study was to determine the impact of social media on modern journalism in Makurdi metropolis. To achieve this aim, the survey research method and chi-square were used. Subjects were drawn from journalists in Makurdi metropolis in Benue State, using the purposive sampling technique. Three research questions and one alternative hypothesis guided the study. Research findings showed that social media have enhanced the productivity of journalists in Makurdi metropolis and a great numb ... Continue reading---
