The Stampede of News and Articles across Digital Platforms
I remember being a kid and seeing my parents read the newspaper everyday. I would look at the comics and crosswords when they were done reading it, sometimes I’d even read an article if it looked interesting. Now all of those articles are found through our phones and computers and all across the internet. I wasn’t aware of the migration of news from our newspapers to our technology while it was happening, but now I look back and see how jurassic the change was.
As a kid I was always a big reader, usually it was books but I would occasionally pick up a newspaper to read through all of the local news. I would also sit with my mom to watch the news after getting ready for school, but now I can’t remember the last time I actually watched the news. Now nearly 64.5% of people receive breaking news through social media platforms. Even now I catch myself going on Facebook for all of my news updates; whether it’s for the weather, school, or emergency updates. This new evolvement to digital media platforms has been very convenient for me. I know for my parents specifically, the news updates from mine and my brother’s school was the most conveniently delivered through social media.
Facebook has been the biggest source of articles for me, I constantly find myself on the platform just to read different articles of many topics. I can find weather updates, celebrity updates, political updates and even true crime articles (my favorite). Facebook even has a “Breaking News” option for businesses, mainly news pages, so that an indicator would appear on user’s news feeds. When I was growing up all of the breaking news and world updates would have to wait until the news came on, but now Facebook changed my way of consuming information not only easier, but also greater. If circumstances were different and these digital platforms didn’t provide the services used now, my consumption of the content would be way lower than it is now — I may not even have any idea of anything going on.
“I wasn’t aware of the migration of news from our newspapers to our technology while it was happening, but now I look back and see how jurassic the change was.”
Digital technology had a big impact on my life in terms of receiving news and “staying in the loop”, but it also provides a place for me to be myself and communicate with friends and family. Multiple digital platforms allow people to post pictures and videos and to create their own artwork to share with the internet. In my opinion this opens up a place where people can expand their knowledge and see what others are interested in. This makes sense since design and visual arts are a part of the most favorable media shared on digital platforms. I’ve seen many of my friends artwork, their music, and their favorite videos shared on their social medias. Initially thinking about it I wouldn’t say that I’m affected by the creative parts of digital media as I don’t make any form of art, but after thinking about it I would say that it definitely shaped me. Creative expressions weren’t just about making art for me, but for looking at it and discovering it. That being said, I think that digital platforms have opened up ways for people to express their art regardless of if they’re selling it or just looking for exposure. Every “like”, every “comment”, and every “share” is a form of participating in communications and arts. It allows for me to grow and learn each time I go on social media to explore.
Reflecting on the affect that digital media has had on me is both surprising but also expected. It was surprising to see how much it had an impact on my life, how all of my news updates and communications were through these platforms. It was expected because how could it not affect me in any way? Growing up, digital media was constantly growing around me through that time. Technology was constantly evolving and growing more popular that it had to have been coming. Everything involving digital media was happening so naturally in my life that I didn’t even notice the changes that were made — even though it was coming. I do think that my relationship with digital platforms is a positive thing. It’s so accessible for up to date news, communication, and for spreading creativity. I believe that the evolvement of these platforms over the years has played a big role in the shaping of media today. It seems so recently that I was reading the articles in the newspapers and watching the news with my parents, but now it’s clear to me that digital technologies have played a big part in my life today.
