It was first MySpace, then Facebook, then Twitter, then Instagram, then TikTok where mass amounts of people would join to share their uncensored opinion. With the inception of MySpace, all of these places are still public forums for those who feel inclined to share their opinions. Before these spaces, you had to be someone credible, someone of substance to share your opinion. You likely had to be established in whatever field of work you are commenting on, or at the very least an okay writer to get a column in a newspaper or to be featured as a talking head on TV. But today, with apps that with a click of a button the whole world can know what your beliefs are, the opinions of those who are established have lost their importance.
There is a duality to this ease of accessible media. Everyone is a “journalist”. Everyone can be on the same caliber as CNN or The New York Times. It can be harmful when misinformation is spread and can be damaging if the keyboard is not used with respect. In 2020, when George Floyd was killed by police, it wasn’t the mainstream media that was recording live from the scene, it was citizens who pulled their phones out to record what would later become a murder that would spark national movement. This is something that likely would have not had such an impact in a pre-social media world.
As an experienced journalist, I have been asked by many adults how social media is impacting journalism, and if I like it as a student journalist. To that I say, the more the merrier. The saying is true, the press is the fourth branch of the government and with the easy accessibility to the “post” button, anyone can be a journalist. Everyone can have power.
