One of the definitions of revolution is a sudden, sweeping change in something. The American Revolution is but one example. The 1960s counterculture revolution of much of Europe and the U. S. is another example. The social media revolution, currently, is the most recent and widespread.

Social media has transformed people from content consumers to content producers. How knowledge and information spread has undergone radical change. In the past, we were used to the monologues of broadcast media: one person delivering information to the rest of us. We know this typically in the form of newspaper articles and TV newscasts.

However, these norms are fast becoming forced to coexist with what the revolution is bringing. Known as social media dialogues, this is where many people disseminate said information to the people. Everyone becomes recipient and disseminator. This is why they’re referred to as content producers.

There are several common forms of this phenomenon. One well-known form of social media includes concepts or slogans made to be so easily remembered that it galvanizes others to repeat them often. Print media created to be redistributed to the masses is another form. Dissemination from electronic media such as Internet and mobile phones with advanced search capability is a third. Another example is grass-roots direct action dissemination, such as public demonstrations, public rallies, and public speaking.

Major differences exist between social media and traditional media, also known as broadcast, industrial, or mass media. To start, because industrial media normally requires more resources to share what it knows, social media tends to be less expensive. It’s also more accessible, too. Next, in the structured world of traditional media, specialized training is imperative. In the unstructured world of social media, no such training is required. Social media can be used and operated by anyone.

Third, response time and relevancy are more impacted, whereas, the time lag in social media can be instantaneous. In industrial media it often takes hours or even days. However, it should be taken into account that as industrial media takes on more and more of social media’s tendencies, there might not be such differences much longer.

Fourth, permanence is treated very differently by the two. In mass media, after an article is printed and distributed, it cannot be changed. Corrections, retractions, and apologies may be necessary, but the article is unable to be altered. In social media, however, changes can instantly be made.

Another interesting note is how the two forms of media are similar. Both social and traditional media reach a small or worldwide audience. A blog post or other such type of social media communication can reach no one or everyone. A television news broadcast can reach the exact same range of people.

Where the future of social and traditional media is headed is anyone’s guess. A prevailing opinion is that the two will intertwine and create a media hybrid using basic parameters of each. In fact, in some circles, this hybridization is more than just theory…it’s real.

Whatever the future brings, the social media tool is not transient. It is here for good, even as its future direction is still not clear. Will hybridization continue evolving? Will mass media, as we know it, continue? Will the social media network evolve to the point that it engulfs both the traditional and the hybrid? Keep abreast with your local media outlets as we go forward.

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