A year-long study from the Pew Research Center sheds some light on the way Americans are using social media differently than legacy media.
First off, nearly half depend on those around them for some of their news, an indication that social media has gained enormous clout but also an indication that friends play a powerful role in broad news consumption.
And any suggestion that social media somehow deliver the same note is challenged in the study. Pew reported that social media tend to highlight very different stories --- not only different from legacy media, but different from each other.
On blogs, the stories are emotive. On Twitter, technology rules. YouTube is serendipitous.
Legacy media still aren't necessarily picking up on the viral hits, either. Pew found only one instance, the so-named climategate scandal, that seemed to prosper in social media then migrate to the mainstream.
Having said that, blogs depend heavily on mainstream media for their source material, the study found.
First off, nearly half depend on those around them for some of their news, an indication that social media has gained enormous clout but also an indication that friends play a powerful role in broad news consumption.
And any suggestion that social media somehow deliver the same note is challenged in the study. Pew reported that social media tend to highlight very different stories --- not only different from legacy media, but different from each other.
On blogs, the stories are emotive. On Twitter, technology rules. YouTube is serendipitous.
Legacy media still aren't necessarily picking up on the viral hits, either. Pew found only one instance, the so-named climategate scandal, that seemed to prosper in social media then migrate to the mainstream.
Having said that, blogs depend heavily on mainstream media for their source material, the study found.
