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Microblogging: A New Age of Communication

Within our continuous expanding media technologies, networked tools and applications
are launched almost every day and they compete to become standard services for channeling
information, communication and media activities (Dijck, 2011, p. 33). While many media
platforms are long gone, some are definitely here to stay. Through the evolution of social media,
we have come in contact with a new age of internet communication and news dissemination.
Microblogging is a hybrid of blogging and instant messaging in which updates form a
feed, similar to a blog, and users can quickly reply to or re-post others updates (Schmierbach &
Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2012, pp. 318-319). Launched in 2006, Twitter, a very popular microblogging
site, is a Web-based social network system that enables users to post brief comments (140
character maximum) about what they are doing (Ferguson & Greer, 2011, pp. 35). While the
primary function of Twitter may not have been established in the beginning, Wikipedia listed
nine uses for Twitter, some including education, public relations, and reporting (Dijck, 2011).
Twitter is steadily becoming known as another medium for news dissemination opposed from
television or print (Schmierbach & Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2012).
However while many blogging or microblogging media platforms are deemed credible,
Twitter did not rank so high. A traditional blog that posts links to news content clearly have
both an originating source and a selecting source (Schmierbach & Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2012, pp.
321). However, a tweet, only a 140 characters, is limited to the amount of information that can
be disseminated leaving no room for citing sources. By including less information, the Twitter
post and the shorter story would also rob individuals of the context needed to determine that a
story was important (Schmierbach & Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2012). In addition, an individuals
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personal perception of Twitter can lead one to deem the information invalid even if a notable
source such as the New York Times is the disseminator (Schmierbach & Oeldorf-Hirsch, 2012).
Will microblogging become the new age of news reporting? Many may miss reading the
Sunday newspaper but the world is evolving into a faster paced environment where people need
information at the drop of a dime. A simple tweet or two from your favorite newspaper such as
The Atlanta Journal Constitution may just be all you need to get your news for the day. While
the issue of credibility and factual information is still a concern, the convenience that
microblogging and Twitter will give to the world will change news reporting forever.
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References
Dijck, J. (2011). Tracing Twitter: The rise of a microblogging platform. International Journal of
Media & Cultural Politics, 7(3) 333-348.
Ferguson, D. & Greer, C. (2011). Local radio and microblogging: How radio stations in the U.S.
are using Twitter. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 18(1) 33-46.
Schmierbach, M., & Oeldorf-Hirsch, A. (2012). A little bird told me, so I didn't believe it:
Twitter, credibility, and issue perceptions. Communication Quaterly, 60(3) 317-337.