Does Social Ruin News Reporting?

We've all heard about the recent Boston Marathon bombings. Terrible and sad story. But which story? The 8 year old who was running in memory of the Sandy Hook elementary kids? The man who was waiting at the finish line to propose to his girlfriend, who was running? The inability to contact family members because all cell phone services were shut down? These are all examples of stories that went viral in the hours immediately following the incident.

Turns out, each of these stories are false. The 8 year old boy was a bystander in the incident, he was not a runner in the marathon. The man waiting to "propose" to his girlfriend was a story brought about by a picture of a man holding a stranger (woman) in his arms after the bombing. Cell phone service was not cut off, in fact, AT&T went as far as to expand all wi-fi networks and open them up for use to free up tower usage.

Today, the day after, news networks are frantically trying to gather all of the correct information to offset all of the misinformation reported the day before immediately after the incident. I watch the news and keep up with it, but man oh man was I a confused news consumer today! I think social, in some way, causes media outlets to stray from reporting truthful information and causes them to just start drilling through our minds the first thing they hear, whether it is accurate or not. People can claim to be "witnesses," and maybe in some behind-the-scenes way, the media outlets verify this, but why are so many things consistently being reported that are not accurate? Think back to 9/11. Although I was only 11, I don't really recall any media outlets jumping the gun about things and just reporting any news; everything was verified first because it had to be. In a sense, this truthfulness and accuracy in news reporting is gone from today's society. Sad to say that so many false stories get put out into circulation these days.

Blackboard Learning App - Never Escaping School

Numerous colleges are using the Blackboard Learning system as the portal where teachers and students can connect with each other. Here, they can submit assignments, ask for help, take quizzes or tests, and everything else school related.

Blackboard and I, like many of us students out there (and probably professors) have a love-hate relationship. It makes it simple to see work and know when things are due, but I can never get away from it. Professors can randomly send out a message saying "Oh..well, it's the weekend, [I don't want you to enjoy it] so go ahead and read 100 pages from your textbook for a quiz on Monday," where as back in the day, that probably did not happen last minute. Students were aware in advance. So instead of having a relaxing weekend, it would now be filled with endless schoolwork. 

To take it even further, Blackboard Learning has created an app (a less recent development). Luckily, UGA has not jumped on this train yet, but other universities have. I first saw the app and thought "Ooh how easy would that make life, I wouldn't have to go all the way through my mobile browser to get to Blackboard!" Then the next thought came...I would never not be able to get on it. It would make life miserable. Although I can access Blackboard through mobile web, some features are not compatible, so I couldn't do everything I could on my computer. An app would allow me to do those things. Sometimes we need a break from school. We are already constantly connected everywhere else, which we may enjoy, but school is often a stressor. Limiting our time with these stressors in life seems to make life just a little bit better. 

A little less than a month from graduating, I am incredibly happy that I am going to be done with school before UGA utilizes a mobile app to connect with students. The world is shifting that way, so it is definitely coming. But is this what students really want? To literally never have time away from schoolwork? Maybe, maybe not. 

Idol is Allowing Viewers to 'Tweet' Theme Ideas

American Idol, in it's 12th season, is competing for viewership with The Voice and The X-Factor. This day and age, each show is heavily incorporating social media into every aspect of the show.

In the fall, X-Factor allowed viewers to tweet contestants to vote/pick their outfits for a particular show, letting viewers feel in control. Idol is taking a similar step by letting viewers vote on the theme of the show for a week. I believe that letting the viewers "choose" the theme gives them a sense of control over the show. This institutes a feeling of ownership - "my show" or "my theme got chosen for Idol," creating loyal viewers. Much like businesses want loyal customers, producers want loyal viewers. These loyal viewers are likely to "return" (watch future season), as well as "make referrals," (get their friends to start watching). Focusing on these things can increase viewership for the current season and future seasons, which is critical to the show's success.

I think this is TV's way of keeping our attention. Without engaging viewers through social media, no one would pay attention to these live events like we used to. Much like the Grammy's and their incorporation of social, American Idol places suggested hashtags at the bottom of the screen during performances to engage the audience, and has campaigns like viewers picking the theme to keep viewers engaged on days the show isn't airing.

We all know that Idol isn't the same show it used to be back when Kelly Clarkson won, but like many television shows and airings, they must keep up with social and find different ways to engage the audience each week. Allowing viewers to pick the theme is an interesting way to do this, and I am eager to see the results.