6: Social Networks Fuel the participatory Economy:
The use of social media has changed dramatically in the past 5 years.
In its inceptions, social media was simply a way for people to interact and a convenient way to stay connected to friends and family. However, in the past 5 years social media has become for many a significant, if not primary, news source. I include myself in this group.
Like many, I was always skeptical of news coming out of mainstream news outlets. This was especially so growing up in Iran as the Iranian Government owned the main news outlets. Nevertheless, I relied on these sources to stay informed.
In its inceptions, social media was simply a way for people to interact and a convenient way to stay connected to friends and family. However, in the past 5 years social media has become for many a significant, if not primary, news source. I include myself in this group.
Like many, I was always skeptical of news coming out of mainstream news outlets. This was especially so growing up in Iran as the Iranian Government owned the main news outlets. Nevertheless, I relied on these sources to stay informed.
In 2009, during the Iranian presidential election, I began to notice a spark contract in what was being reported on the news versus what I was hearing from friends and family on the ground. Slowly, I began relying more on Facebook, YouTube and twitter to stay informed than on the mainstream news outlets.
By the end of the presidential election, I had completely given up on mainstream news outlets and began to rely solely on the information obtained from social media. I now, like many, prefer to read people’s comments on a specific topic on Facebook or twitter than listen to two pundits arguing on TV.
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