Bainbridge, Jason, Beasley, Carolyn, and Tynan, Liz (2015) The digital and social media environment. In: Bainbridge, Jason, Goc, Nicola, and Tynan, Liz, (eds.) Media and Journalism: new approaches to theory and practice. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, pp. 65-92.

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Abstract

[Extract] The many natural and human-induced disasters and dramas of recent years now automatically feature an avalanche of social media. Imagining major public events without Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is actually becoming difficult, although these things are still so new. Think of the Lindt cafe siege in Sydney in December 2014, or Cyclone Marcia that hit central Queensland in February 2015. While mainstream media (MSM) were there in droves, much of what we saw, heard and read came from the immediate first-hand accounts of people on the scene, using their smartphones and tablets to flood the social media spaces with material eagerly consumed by a hungry and switched-on audience. 'Trending' (that is, to become the subject of many posts online within a comparatively short period of time) has become something not only desirable and but also keenly followed by individuals and institutions around the globe.

Some would argue that digital and social media have democratised and invigorated the media; others that they have sent them into a downward spiral. Whatever you think, change is inevitable, particularly as technology burgeons. Just as the invention of the transistor in the late 1940s was the start of the (then unimaginable) computer revolution, so we are now inventing technologies that will take us to who knows where. As information is one of the most important commodities in the world, the rise of information-based technology has transformed the way we receive and process information. Boundaries of all kinds are being blurred, and if we thought we could see the future a generation ago, we certainly cannot see it now.

Item ID:	42181
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Teaching Material)
ISBN:	978-0-19-558801-9
Related URLs:	http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/23168/
Additional Information:	The previous edition of this chapter was published as follows and can be accessed using the link in the Related URLs field: Bainbridge, Jason, Beasley, Carolyn, and Tynan, Liz (2011) The new media environment: digital and social media. In: Bainbridge, Jason, Goc, Nicola, and Tynan, Liz, (eds.) Media and Journalism: new approaches to theory and practice. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, pp. 353-377.
Date Deposited:	20 Jun 2016 03:10
FoR Codes:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2001 Communication and Media Studies > 200199 Communication and Media Studies not elsewhere classified @ 50% 19 STUDIES IN CREATIVE ARTS AND WRITING > 1903 Journalism and Professional Writing > 190399 Journalism and Professional Writing not elsewhere classified @ 50%
SEO Codes:	89 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES > 8904 Media Services > 890499 Media Services not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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