Over the past six posts on this page, we've discussed several topics in the communication space. From streaming services and user-generated content to fake news and Eastern spiritualism, the world of telecommunications is rife for deep discussion and considerations, and as technology continues to advance, the need to discuss these topics will only become more necessary. In this final post, I would like to reflect on some suggestions on how to improve both the technology and culture surrounding the telecommunications landscape and address some of the specific concerns regarding the topics brought up in my previous posts. Specifically, we will analyze the topics of social media, fake news, influencers, and user-generated content.
Social Media - The New Newsroom
It's no secret that social media has changed news to its very core. With roughly half of all Americans getting their news from social media platforms and with younger generations adopting these platforms as their primary news outlet, the modern newsroom needs to be one that focuses primarily on a strong social media presence to stay relevant (Forman-Katz & Matsa, 2022). Yet as social media continues to rise in popularity and adoption, troubling trends have begun to form. Amongst these, few are as unnerving as the rising amount of fake or misleading news appearing on social media timelines and the effects this misinformation has on our society. Many Americans feel that they regularly see falsified or inaccurate news on social media, as indicated by the graph below, and they worry that the spread of this misinformation has led to weakening trust in news media to provide accurate and unbiased information (Barthel et. al., 2016). While most agree that it is the responsibility of all parties, including social network sites and government officials as well as the general public, to stop the spread of fake news, there are many different theories on how to best go about this (2016). I've already discussed two of these ideas, one from Southern Methodist University Technology Law Reviewer Dallas Flick, and the other from Duke University Professor of public policy Philip M. Napoli. Flick believes that the problem lies primarily with the market share of larger, more polarized news outlets and proposes that the best solution would be to institute a levy on these news organizations that would subsidize smaller, more localized news efforts (Flick, 2017, pp. 398-400). Napoli, on the other hand, feels that the invisible hand of the market is insufficient to stop the spread of misinformation and calls for thorough reform at all levels, from news organization self-regulatory practices to a reinterpretation of the First Amendment through a collectivist lens that grants the government more authority to curtail misinformation as a threat to the public good (Napoli, 2019, pp. 163-198).
(From the Pew Research Center, 2016)
Both of these ideas have their merits. However, as social media is first and foremost a telecommunications technology, I believe that there is an opportunity within the platforms themselves to both address these concerns and assist newsrooms in a big way. If more and more people are going to get their news through social media, then social media platforms should implement greater functionality for news organizations. Journalists should be able to use a social media website as their one-stop shop for their writing needs, being able to post their articles directly within the social media platform of their choosing. The social media platform, then, should offer some capability for users to directly access their news, either as a fully integrated feature within the existing social media platform or as a separate functionality or supplementary application similar to how Messenger works with Facebook. Finally, these news functions should offer safety and accuracy tools, up to and including advisories on misinformation and fact-checking tools for both users and journalists to use.
User-Generated Content and Organic Marketing
The relationship between user-generated content and major corporations is a tenuous one. On one hand, there is proven success in allowing the social media user base to create content regarding products and services as it spreads the word and gets people interested, all on a platform that has a global reach. On the other hand, many corporations feel the need to keep a tight grip on their intellectual properties and will go very far to keep them from being used by third parties. This is particularly true on platforms such as YouTube, where copyright claims and strikes are a regular occurrence for users, even those with substantial follower bases. In the first six months of 2021 alone, over 2.2 million copyright claims were placed on user-generated videos before being reversed, which should speak to the sheer volume of these incidents occurring (Sato, 2021). Of course, there are reasons why a major company would want to keep their intellectual properties close to their chest, but doing so in this way only serves to build bad blood between them and the creator and, even worse, their audience. While some companies have taken steps to mitigate this by officially sponsoring influences to promote their products, many still feel that the benefits offered by allowing content creators to use their work do not outweigh the potential issues that could arise, especially since there is no direct corollary between influencer marketing and profits (Waltenrath et. al., 2022). What's more, many see user-generated content as a more authentic representation of the product or service being featured, and they are more likely to engage with this product because they have that parasocial connection.
("How to Remove Copyright Claims on YouTube Videos!" by Justin Brown, Nov. 15, 2022)
With all this in mind, what's the solution? In short, user-generated content is the future of marketing and advertising. In many ways, it creates a more organic form of advertising than more traditional mediums ever could, all due to the parasocial relationship that develops between the user and their follower base. Rather than push against this, companies should start to lean into this. They should not only be more allowing of user-generated content with their products and services included but should promote this user-generated content themselves. Not only does this build a better relationship with the users and their audience, but it also ensures that one can maximize the potential of influencer marketing in a more authentic way. None of this is to say that there should not be any regulation. After all, as mentioned above, while there is a correlation between influencer marketing and increased engagement, that does not always translate to profit, and at the end of the day, companies need to protect their bottom line (Waltenrath et. al., 2022). Still, there is potential for a more lax, creator-friendly approach to marketing that could largely benefit these larger corporations.
References
Barthel, M., Mitchell, A., & Holcomb, J. (2020, August 27). Many Americans believe fake news is sowing confusion. Pew Research Center's Journalism Project. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowing-confusion/
Brown, J. (2022, November 15). How to Remove Copyright Claims on YouTube Videos! [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/RroocaG5B3c
Flick, D. (2017). Combatting fake news: alternatives to limiting social media misinformation and rehabilitating quality journalism. SMU Science and Technology Law Review, 20(2), 375-406.
Forman-Katz, N., & Matsa, K. E. (2022, November 14). News platform fact sheet. Pew Research Center's Journalism Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/news-platform-fact-sheet/#panel-b39b851c-e417-48ef-9b10-93ee21a0030e
Napoli, P. M. (2019). Social Media and the Public Interest : Media Regulation in the Disinformation Age. Columbia University Press.
Sato, M. (2021, December 6). YouTube reveals millions of incorrect copyright claims in six months. The Verge. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/6/22820318/youtube-copyright-claims-transparency-report
Waltenrath, A., Brenner, C., & Hinz, O. (2022). Some Interactions Are More Equal Than Others: The Effect of Influencer Endorsements in Social Media Brand Posts on Engagement and Online Store Performance. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 57(4), 541–560. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/10949968221096591
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