When the Dutch journalist Joris Luyendijk first published his book Hello Everybody in 2006 , Facebook was only at the beginning of its rise to the mass-medium that it is today. The same applies for Twitter. It was only at its starting point; with its launch in July 2006 (Crunchbase, 2011) it had significantly less than 12,000 users in November 2006. Consequently, journalists adapted the methodology of their work to these new forms of social (mass) communication. A study by the George Washington University (USA) in cooperation with the public relations company Cision confirms this assumption. Sixty-five percent of all journalists examined said that they used Social networks as sources for their daily work (Bates & Sullivan, 2010). This indicates that also the way of reporting about the Middle East might have changed; that correspondents adapted to the new tools which they got and use them actively for their reporting.
One of the most prominent journalistic pieces on the revolution in Egypt which used sources from the social media landscape in order to reconstruct the course of the Egyptian revolution is the BBC documentary “How Facebook Changed the World” (Husain, 2011), first broadcasted on 5 September 2011 on BBC 2 (BBC, 2011).
This paper examines, firstly, the problems a researcher is confronted with writing about journalist’s source mix in order to explain the paper’s specific approach to the topic. Secondly, the paper investigates the role of social media in journalism, how the use of social media as a source is legitimized and how much credibility is given to social media as sources by journalists. Thirdly, the use of social media as sources is considered, using the example of the BBC documentary in order to lastly analyse the advantages and disadvantages of social media in journalist’s source mix. For this purpose the analysis of Luyendijk is taken as a basis. This paper only focuses on the part about the Egyptian revolution in the documentary; all other parts are not subjects of the analysis.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Invisibility of Sources
- Social Media as the Voice of "the People"
- Social Media Activists as Narrators
- The Issue of Credibility
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the use of social media as sources in journalism, specifically focusing on the BBC documentary "How Facebook Changed the World" and its depiction of the Egyptian revolution. It explores the challenges of researching journalistic sources, investigates the legitimacy of using social media as a source, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of social media in journalists' source mix. The paper utilizes the work of Joris Luyendijk as a basis for its analysis.
- The challenges of researching journalistic sources, particularly when social media is used.
- The legitimacy of using social media as a source in journalism.
- The role of social media in shaping narratives about revolutions.
- The portrayal of social media activists as representatives of "the people."
- The potential distortions of reality through the exclusive use of social media sources.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter provides context by discussing the rise of social media, its impact on journalism, and the relevance of the BBC documentary "How Facebook Changed the World" as a case study. It outlines the paper's objectives and research approach.
- The Invisibility of Sources: This chapter highlights the difficulty of researching journalistic sources, particularly when social media is used, due to the often hidden nature of these sources. It emphasizes the need for empirical data and explains the paper's focus on the BBC documentary, where social media sources are readily identifiable.
- Social Media as the Voice of "the People": This chapter explores the notion that social media can provide a voice for the unheard and bypass censorship, particularly in authoritarian regimes. It discusses the significance of social media platforms in enabling communication during the Iranian post-election protests and the potential of social media to provide alternative perspectives.
- Social Media Activists as Narrators: This chapter analyzes the BBC documentary's portrayal of the Egyptian revolution through the lens of social media activists. It examines how the documentary uses visuals and narratives to emphasize the role of social media in organizing and disseminating information during the revolution. It also discusses the potential for bias and distortion in the portrayal of the revolution through a narrow focus on social media activism.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper examines key concepts surrounding the use of social media in journalism, including social media activism, citizen journalism, source credibility, media bias, and the role of social media in revolutions. It focuses on the use of social media in the context of the Egyptian revolution and explores how social media activists are depicted as sources in journalistic narratives.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Maiko Schaffrath (Autor:in), 2011, ‘Facebookers’ vs. ‘Donor Darlings’, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/181790
