Photo: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=3212378
Google presented Google Buzz, a social networking source that is Facebook’s new competitor. In the WebNewser article, “Google Officially Introduces Google Buzz,” David Cohen mentioned that it takes Gmail users and enables them to share photos, videos and links from other social networking sites. It also has an additional feature that allows people to see where other people are posting.
Social networking is a convenient way for people to gossip and, even, keep up with the news. Follow the Huffington Post on Twitter and you’ll get an update every minute or so. Now, Google Buzz enters the arena armed with even more handy features. Users can post from anywhere and show readers/followers/friends where s/he was at the time.
I understand that this is evolution in the works and it has real potential for journalism, but have we gone too far? Do we really need to know what Britney Spears ate for breakfast? Is that really news or is it merely “junk food” for the brain?
Nonetheless, today’s consumers are spoiled. With the touch of a button, lists appear and you can choose from various news sources for the latest headlines or figure out the closest Chinese takeout location. If I owned a smartphone, I’m sure I would also be taking advantage of this feature. Nevertheless, today’s technology provides information that is readily available in the palm of your hand. People live in a world of “now” which makes journalists positions more competitive. Instead of taking the time to research, fact-check and critique a story, journalists need to sacrifice accuracy for immediacy. Now people can pin point where the action is, geographically. The question is: Will people care?
No comments:
Post a Comment