Social Media News
Social Media News (or simply social news) is any news shared or published by a user through social platforms, including photos, articles, photos, or audio format.
Contents
General Information
Social Media News represents the modern, contemporary way to get your news; from social platforms, websites, live streaming platforms, and even from following a particular YouTube channel, preferring this way to traditional news sources.
Compared to traditional news sources (newspapers, magazines, TV news channels), social news is faster and allows you to filter how you receive news. For example, you can set your preferences and subscribe to your favorite channels and website to have news delivered to your inbox.
Social media users get their information from their social accounts in the most accessible way.
People can watch, listen, and read what others share on their platforms, including text and video shared on social apps, live streaming platforms or a YouTube channel, blog posts, podcasts, and even from Tiktok users, Instagram reels, or YouTube shorts.
Is social media a good news source?
Social media and live streaming platforms have increased as sources for important news, including critical news, such as crises and risks.
The benefits are clear - you can get and filter your news anywhere, anytime, as long as you have an Internet connection. But social news has often been criticized for violent actions, such as triggering revolutions or skewing elections, so it is essential to remain neutral.
Advantages and dangers of Social Media News
Advantages
- A faster way to have your news delivered
When posted on social apps, news can go viral in seconds.
Social media news is here to stay. As social platforms have become one of the primary sources of following the news, active users have access to both local and global news, they have the option to filter their information, and they can share content and information they consider worthy.
- Getting more shares
Content creators monetize everything on social platforms, including the latest news. Regarding establishing authority, sharing news on social platforms is a simple and cheap way to get more shares.
Social platforms have become the place whereby active users interact with each other, sharing at the same time crucial information (crisis, health issues). For this reason, even Governments and Health organizations use social platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram) to allow users to get their news from reliable sources.
- Being part of a community
The positive effect of social media news on people’s psychology during crises (such as climate change issues and pandemic outbreaks) is stimulating their minds, encouraging positive actions, and enhancing their belonging to a community.
Dangers of Social Media
All in all, there is nothing wrong with the modern way of getting information - through the social media platforms of your choice.
They say social media news is similar to real word of mouth.
And because social media news resembles word of mouth in many ways, one of the problems we deal with shared news on social media platforms is that it can be unreliable.
This lead to what is called fake news - inaccurate or completely false news spread for various reasons (for example - brand’s benefit).
In times of crisis, news on social media can have negative effects: it can create anxiety, fear, panic, and tension.
How can Marketers benefit from Social Media News?
Spreading news on a website is a great way to provide high-quality content to followers and viewers. Covering breaking news is also a way to optimize the website for search engines.
One of the best results you may have when you utilize social news correctly is that your website and/or social platforms become a reliable source for others to copy and share your stories (translated into getting lots of free backlinks).
To be an authority in sharing news, you have to check some boxes - being among the first to cover breaking news as well as being able to identify worthy stories. In addition to this, you should look for the right place to take your information, use the right tools in your search and find the right angle to present the news for your brand’s benefit.
- Press release (the right place to take your news faster)
Press release websites represent the place where brands choose to make an announcement. Their habit of posting on a press release site is your opportunity to cover important stories quickly, before your competitors.
A good relationship with the PR departments of companies in your brand niche also ensures the chance to take interviews - you will get excellent answers if you formulate the right questions.
- Use the right tools
Using the right tools allows you access to content that will work for you when shared. You will benefit from the kind of news on the cusp of going viral. For this reason, choose to work with a monitor app when you search for the latest news in your niche, as it can be an invaluable tool for your brand.
- Do not overlook other places to get your news
Depending on your niche and activity, focus on being present on social apps, observing and checking breaking news sites, and listening to local radio stations. Also, review new studies and research which have been conducted because those may provide interesting insights and results.
- Present the news from the right angle
Even if you have the eye to spot good news before others, you must train your mind to look at everything from different angles. Improvise and be creative: use the latest news to promote your brand if this is the case.
References
1 ResearchGate, The effects of social media news on human psychology: A narrative literature review, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353947650_The_effects_of_social_media_news_on_human_psychology_A_narrative_literature_review
2 Open PR Worldwide Public Relations, Social Media News definition, https://www.openpr.com/wiki/social-media-news
3 The Click, The Pros and Cons of Social Media Reporting, https://theclick.news/the-pros-and-cons-of-social-media-reporting/