During the digital age, the internet becomes more and more popular. Conversely, the circulation and the advertising revenues of newspapers are vanishing duo to the emergence of internet and audience migration. When most of the news organizations are struggling in digital age, there is a new form of news media growing up on the web that is BuzzFeed. This essay will firstly point out the analysis of this news source and then discuss the influence and contribution of BuzzFeed in the public sphere.
BuzzFeed is a rapidly growing social news and entertaining website, which founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti (BuzzFeed, n.d.). The majority of audiences are about 20 to 30 year old and also large portion of readers are in 30s to 40s (Moore, 2013). In 2013, the monthly unique readers were about 85 million and interestingly most of the views (75%) were from social networking websites and email but not BuzzFeed (BuzzFeed, n.d.).
The innovative strategy of selling news and the content selection are the reasons why BuzzFeed can attract such a large number of readers.
The strategy of BuzzFeed to sell news is free for readers and connecting with social networking websites to reach numerous readers. Since BuzzFeed is a website, the cost of papers and printing can be saved and thus it is easier to achieve free press comparing with print newspapers. In addition, they design the website very convenience to share news and advertisements and choosing the content that readers are interested to click and share (BuzzFeed, n.d.). As a result, it would encourage audiences to share the news and hence more people get the news on social media.
The contents of BuzzFeed can be roughly divided into entertainment, substantive content and advertorial (BuzzFeed, n.d.)...
... middle of paper ...
.../06/15/can-buzzfeed-be-stopped/
- Katona, Z., Knee, J. A., & Sarvary, M. (2013). Agenda Chasing and Contests Among News Providers. Available at SSRN.
- Moore, H. (2013, 3 January). BuzzFeed announces $19.3m in funding as it transforms internet advertising. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jan/03/buzzfeed-new-funding-transforms-advertising
- Peretti, J. (2013, 4 September). Memo To The BuzzFeed Team. Retrieved from http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130904212907-1799428-memo-to-the-buzzfeed-team
- Habermas, J. (2000). The public sphere. In P. Marris & S. Thornham (Eds.), Media Studies : A reader(2nd.) (pp. 92–97). New York: New York University Press.
- Hagey, K. (2012, October 8). The advertorial's best friend; BuzzFeed site relies on sponsored content shared by visitors on social media. Wall Street Journal. Eastern Edition
website I chose to analyze is Popsugar. The primary rhetorical purpose of this website is to inform, but also to alter perception. The controlling idea or thesis is to keep viewers aware of what is occurring within popular culture and perhaps change the way the audience thinks about a subject. The website is separated by celebrities, fashion, fitness, beauty, love, moms, living, career, food, Latina, news and video. By separating the website into these categories, the website makes their purpose evident. It is significant that the website is split into different areas because all the areas consist of what is "popular" in each category. The website can then approach each category with stories and opinions that target the audience’s perceptions.
Both CNN and Fox News influence these immense populations with how each utilize pathos, ethos and logos in the topics discussed during the broadcasted show. For example, Fox News 's audience seems to be primarily conservative, while CNN’s audience seem to be more liberal (Engel). So each network’s stories “focus on the issues that” conservatives or liberals “want to watch and talk about” (James). These topics are used to develop a more conservative or liberal fan base in the respective news networks. As the dominant news network on cable television, Fox News impacts the greatest quantity of citizens, bringing in an audience of over two million for primetime (James). Therefore, Fox News influences the largest percentage of Americans listening to news networks by effectively using these manipulative literary techniques. However, CNN has a younger audience than Fox News (Carter), which contributes to CNN’s audience growing from 350,000 a night, in 2013 (Agee), to 629,000 viewers a night (James). CNN and Fox News compete with each other to influence the greatest amount of people and the public’s opinion of current events. Each network appeals to pathos, logos and ethos differently and similarly to coax the greatest amount of listeners each night.
When discussing the media, we must search back to its primal state the News Paper. For it was the News paper and its writers that forged ahead and allowed freedoms for today’s journalism on all fronts, from the Twitter accounts to the daily gazettes all must mark a single event in the evolution of media in respects to politics and all things shaping. Moving on in media history, we began to see a rapid expansion around 1990. With more than 50% of all American homes having cable TV access, newspapers in every city and town with major newspaper centers reaching far more than ever before. Then the introduction of the Internet; nothing would ever be the same.
Because people can get their news in various ways, most commonly from TV and social media, readers have a tendency to skip stories they do not like or agree with. A company called Chartbeat which tracks traffic to web pages conducted a small study for the New York Times. According to Quealy (2017), Chartbeat tracked across multiple news outlets from places considered conservative to more liberal organizations. They found that outlets considered liberal had higher reader counts than outlets considered conservative. One reason for the results of this study is the fact that these institutes varied in their promotional efforts, thus affecting the number of readers their stories reached.
With the invention and development of the Internet, communication has changed in to a revolutionized platform. The Internet has evolved from a means to facilitate data, to a stage of public communication through the use of social media. Social media has affected every aspect of interaction from personal lives to the business world. The business world however, has been especially impacted by the application of social media. Social media has opened up a plethora of opportunities for businesses to advertise, promote and market themselves to consumers. Social media “is one of the fastest growing and most promising strategies a business can employ to boost sales and conversions” (Adobe). As social media continues to grow as a marketing tool, more and more companies have incorporated social media into their daily business activity for brand awareness, target market reach, business expansion and customer interaction.
Why BuzzFeed is so Interesting? BuzzFeed is said to be one of the fastest growing media businesses on earth. BuzzFeed provides the most shareable flashing news, authentic reporting, entertainment, and video across the social web to its global audience of more than 150M. The secret for Buzzfeed success is "defining media company for the social age". Its coctail of humorous lists, celebrity gossip, picture stories and breaking news has captured a booming demand for material to share with friends.
Anyone who access to the Internet can post a wide range of data without having to experience the essential procedure of confirming the information. Most of the news and data on the online networking were originated from various sources while the mainstream news endure a variety of analysis and editorial gatekeeping to ensure the validity of messages delivered. However, Wilson et al. (2011) said that the news’ consumers unable to distinguish the reality from fiction, and may believe whatever they have read through online. In spite of media’s accessibility and utilization as sources of information, it has changed numerous things around us and changed our perspectives toward the news that we were not aware of in the past and made us think beyond of
Effects of News Media Essay By Leilise Vega HUM/186 Due 10/5/15 Instructor: Allyson Wells Effects of News Media Essay News and information media has made a huge impact on American culture. The way people get information in today’s society has changed so much, and with it comes much responsibility. In this paper I will be discussing if information media has a social responsibility, the role information technology has on shaping political opinions, as well as how electronic media convergence has transformed journalism and news consumption.
“Page One” Analysis Andrew Rossi’s documentary, “Page One” addresses a slew of issues, controversies, and challenges that the news industry has faced, and continues to face today. The de facto poster child for the current transition in the world of Journalism is The New York Times, one of the most recognized newspapers in the country, and perhaps even the world. By the late 2000’s, the internet had surpassed print media in terms of viewership. The Times, along with many other newspapers, faced staff cuts, a massive decline in advertising revenue, and a dwindling readership that increasingly used the internet as a primary source for news. Each of these issues had to be tackled for the paper to survive; however, that does not mean no one suffered.
Thirty years ago, if I told you that the primary means of communicating and disseminating information would be a series of interconnected computer networks you would of thought I was watching Star Trek or reading a science fiction novel. In 2010, the future of mass media is upon us today; the Internet. The Internet is and will only grow in the future as the primary means of delivering news, information and entertainment to the vast majority of Americans. Mass media as we know it today will take new shape and form in the next few years with the convergence and migration of three legacy mediums (Television, Radio, Newspaper) into one that is based on the Internet and will replace these mediums forever changing the face of journalism, media and politics. In this paper I will attempt to explain the transition of print media to one of the internet, how the shift to an internet based media environment will impact journalism and mass media, and how this migration will benefit society and forever change the dynamic of news and politics.
Naturally, journalism would spill over to the Internet and as social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook grew in popularity, so did regular citizens involvement with sharing news. The argument can be made that the explosion of social media journalism was due to frustration from the lack of coverage of news that mattered to society. For example, the lack of subjective coverage of Michael Brown 's death helped with the creation of #BlackLivesMatter and spread of news related to African-American’s and other minorities across the country. After all, journalism is supposed to be a public forum. Millions of people on Twitter share their thoughts and opinions on several topics, furthering the conversation and to some degree challenging society. Things such as “Moments” on Twitter provide us with direct links and summaries to the world’s most important stories and encourage a conversation. According to journalism.org, 63% of users on Twitter and Facebook get their news from these websites. Even more eye opening is that 59% of users on Twitter keep up to date with news stories via Twitter while they are in the process of happening.[3] The rise of social media related journalism has caused some issues however. “Inevitably, as citizen involvement grows, more of our media culture is concerned with talking about news, instead of focusing on original reporting and the vetting of it.”[4] Because the general public has the ability to post as they wish and pass it off as news, it has affected the accuracy of many reports. Many stories lack reputable sources but are shared between millions as an accurate and true story. There are several websites designed to spread inaccurate information. The website www.fakenewswatch.com exists to inform people of these sites in order to avoid mishaps. Recently a Connecticut mom went viral for being involved in an online hoax
Rey, Jason D. "Facebook Prepares to Bring Video Ads to News Feed, Aims for TV Dollars." Advertising Age Digital RSS. N.p., 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
In a study conducted by State of the Media, it claims that one of the main problems in the newspaper industry is the rapidly declining advertising revenues. As seen in the below dataset, as print advertising revenues have fallen by 58%, online revenues have grown by 117% in the past decade. It can also been seen that when the world faced a global recession in 2009, the revenue from ads plunged dramatically and in turn has only accelerated print journalism’s woes.
In trying to attract new audiences, news media have begun to transition from reporting to becoming a form of entertainment. With the meteoric rise of social media’s role as a news source, the fight for an increase of diversity in the media, and the ever-growing desire of immediate content, the future of responsible journalism is more important than ever. Ask yourself, why do I think the way I do? Where do my political views originate? How do I prove them? Most likely, it is due to the biased portrayal of issues in the media and the politicization that accompanies what we consume. Now, compare your views to your preferred news reporting entity. More than likely, they are the same.
Newspapers and magazines may cease to exist as we know them and simply more to solely electronic productions. “Breaking news” can be moved to live stream videos by newscasters and not formal stories. There is a possibility that newer forms of media will eliminate old forms altogether, but that does not have to be the case. Ideas from both can be taken and merged together to ensure a quick and also trustworthy source for news. Social media is a medium between the two that is a good goal for media companies to reach. Many “old media” news sources have a Twitter, Facebook or other type of social media account related to their companies. The news is trustworthy because it’s coming from a well known source, but it also comes faster than a broadcast story or a newspaper/magazine article. A good example of where having a social media account is more beneficial is with the fire currently burning in Santa Clarita. News sources such as ABC 7, KTLA, and the LA Times are able to give constant updates via “new media” about the condition of the fire and the environment around