We are living in an interesting time where the response to the question, "Where did you first check your news this morning?" is Twitter. Social media has an even larger presence in society today than before. People using Twitter and Facebook can check their news updates, the latest celebrity gossip and how to cook a one-pan meal in under 10 minutes all in a matter of one scroll. There is an immense amount of information available to us that it may cause previously credible sources to become forgotten. Are more people trusting sources from Facebook than actual news outlets? Are credible sources and accurate sources even important to people anymore?
We live in a time where people would rather read about Kim Kardashian's new baby than what is going on in the world. A good majority of Facebook users believe everything that they see on their timeline. Journalism and communication fields are suffering because of this. Social media has such a large presence that it is almost a requirement to be social media savvy and have a large following. Ordinary people become "journalists" because of their social media presence. I never thought we would live in a time where the amount of Twitter followers you have can be placed on your resume.
The millennial generation has taken over social media and made it applicable to all aspects of life. Eight-year-old kids have iPads and iPhones and know how to use apps without any instruction. We are the technological age. We have created a revolution in technology. Need your math homework done? There's an app for that. Forgot your credit card at home? No worries, there is an app to store your information. Our grandparents couldn't have predicted this much change in their life span. I use the word revolution instead of evolution because the change has been so tremendous. Nearly a century ago, newspapers were the number one source of information and news. Credible journalists worked to tell the truth. Now, it seems as though reporting fairly and justly isn't as important as publishing a piece that everybody wants to read and share. Is it unfair to assume some journalists write for the fame and not for the justice?
I am not bashing the millennials in any way, and in fact, all generations of society are to blame for this takeover. The revolution of technology stems from the self-centered persona of many millennials. We want what we want now and not later. The revolution of social media, in particular, has shifted society into thinking that just anybody can report the news.