“What is the difference between a blogger and a journalist? Is a blogger a journalist? Is there a sharp difference between blogging and journalism or has the internet blurred the difference line between the two?” are the questions that I thought to myself prior to this class and having to blog, which I’ve never done before. Some think that they are one in the same or perhaps used interchangeable, others believe there is a huge and distinct difference between them.

In my honest opinion, sometimes there’s no difference between a blogger and a journalist, whereas, other times there’s a significant difference. The blogger vs. journalist debate is primarily an old-guard one promoted by traditionalists who regard bloggers as unreliable, non-authoritative sources of information vs. journalists who are viewed as reliable and authoritative under this model. I believe it’s an argument that stems from journalists’ self-preservation instinct, meant to warn people away from bloggers and convince them to go to journalists to stay informed as traditional news outlets’ fortunes wane. The reality is not so black and white. Bloggers have diligently investigated and reported news stories that had been ignored and eventually made it to mainstream news outlets, and professional journalists have reported unverified, unreliable and ultimately false stories as fact. Bloggers may be subject-area experts with deep professional training, experience and knowledge of a topic that is often greater than a journalist (or they may not be). Journalists may also be domain experts with extensive training and experience, but are more likely to come by their specialized knowledge of a topic over time through sources they interview.

Journalists tend to refrain from voicing their opinions in news stories. A journalist strives to promote neutrality, freedom from bias, absolute truth  and facts free of their emotions. They prefer to tell all sides of the story and represent each side fairly regardless of their individual beliefs and views. When writing, a journalist usually would not editorialize, use their opinion nor use the first person point of view. News bloggers may  tend to include a lot more commentary and opinion. Opinion and analysis comes second nature to bloggers. Most bloggers become famous because of their outrageous or humorous views.

A journalist is a job. Journalists answer to a boss and may split their time between working in a newsroom and going out to witness events or interview people. Journalists with their degree beside them are usually believed to speak factual on their reports. A journalists approach to writing is different because they can not speak exactly how they would want to but must speak in a tone that captures their audience and keeps them coming back for me. A journalist’s boss can scrap any article that they write if they want to so a journalist must not become too attached to their reports. This is part of the reason why people believe that there is no connection between a journalist and their audience.

I believe that since the internet  easily gives everyone a platform to speak of what is on their minds, whether its fact or fiction, which is scary for the journalist who has gone through years of school and demands respect because of it. In addition to bloggers being able to make money with their blogs. I think that in the years to come, a blogger and a journalist, will be one in the same.

This presidential election has been the most comedic, overwhelming and emotional election that I have ever been old enough to experience. The results have left some people angry, scared, sad and confused while others are happy, enlightened and hopeful. Social media has become a powerful influence. It has provided an open platform for anything that people would like to talk about. It is free and easy for people to share their emotions and the people have taken full advantage of it.

As much as I did not want to entertain this presidential election, due to the candidates chosen to run, I had no choice but to participate. I learned many interesting facts on the candidates of the election through social media. I had also learned which candidates my Facebook friends were siding with. They would post numerous memes, cartoons and direct thoughts on the candidate of their choice and why they should be elected. To me, people were more bold with their choices this election than ever before.

Social media didn’t only play a huge role in educating the citizens, it also provided a quick and easy way for the candidates to put out a statement or comment on something. I am not on Twitter but I noticed that most people used it to discuss the presidential election more than any other social media podium. Donald Trump himself made the news with the random thoughts , insults and statements that he decided to put on his Twitter. I believe that a lot of the time he posted things just to stir a debate about himself. Twitter definitely was Trump’s medium of choice, and for the most part it seemed as if he was being rewarded for showcasing his freewheeling spirit.The leading candidates for America’s next presidency used Twitter to energize their supporters and draw citizens who wouldn’t otherwise follow political discourse, like myself.

While Trump ran Twitter, it appeared to me that Hillary Clinton had decided to spread herself throughout all of social media. She responded to Trump’s attacks via Twitter with one-liners that the citizens loved. She created an app that her supporters could use to tease Trump via their Facebook profiles and answered questions on Quora that responded to Trumps accusations. Although she remained active on social media, Trump ran the headlines of them.

As much as I believe that social media is beneficial in so many ways, this presidential race has made me believe that social media may not be as good as I thought. Social media gives people the power to organize and inform, but it’s also frequently used to exhibit narcissism and ignorance. People feel a lot more comfortable throwing out hateful and negative comments from behind their laptops or cell phones. It is a lot harder to get people to open their minds to opposing views on social media since it is so easy for individuals with very narrow interests to quickly connect with others who share their beliefs. Social media’s affect on America’s presidential election has embarrassed us. We have got to do better.

Xo,

Monique

Social media has become an integral part of life online as social websites and applications rapidly flourish. It is extremely popular since it allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal, political and business use. Social media has brought about a shift in how people discover, write, read as well as share news, information and content. It has become so easy for even the most timid of people to express their feelings via social media from the comfort of their own environment.

Everyone has a hotbed issue in his or her repertoire. Whether it is political, religious, or something that we have a personal connection to, we feel very strongly about the subject. Social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others, have quickly become the latest avenue for us to get our “point of view” across to the masses. Social networks continue to grow and as they do, so does controversy and debates. More than ever, we are relying on Facebook and Twitter, to share our deepest feelings on a vast array of subjects. Not only are we sharing feelings but we are forced to view the feelings and opinions of others.

I’ve never really been in to politics. I didn’t study up on the politicians nor did I do my research on their views until I was well into my early 20s, and I still must admit that I hardly know much about politics. It could, also, be that I just don’t really care about it, however as much as I would like to stay out of the political news; I simply cannot ignore the things that I am uninterested in because of social media. Logging into my Facebook or Instagram accounts I must involuntary read it, and reading it makes me think about it which will then stimulate me to have an opinion on it and (voila!) now I am involved in politics. In scrolling through my social media accounts, I have to read other people’s posts and views all throughout my newsfeed on the presidential election. As much as I know I should have been involved with it, I’ve just been so busy with work, school and my daughter that I haven’t had the chance to do my research. For a while, I couldn’t even believe that the two presidential candidates were truly being taken seriously. I figured this had to be some type of joke. Now, hours before the election, I must admit that I have secured most of the knowledge that I would need through social media in order to make a decision on whom I should give my vote to for the presidential election.

Political participation and engagement has been transformed within social media. In the past, politicians and government officials would have had to travel far and wide in order to interact with citizens, however, now they can converse via online town halls and other social media sites that provide a platform for direct input on government initiatives. Online platforms, also, allow regular citizens to question politics in front of the “world” via the internet and force them to answer to the citizens whom they would want to vote for them. Social media has made it super easy for citizens to talk to and debate with politicians in addition to making it easy for a politician’s views to be spread around for the people to hear them.

I believe that this is still the beginning for social media. Our growing love of it is not just changing the way we communicate – it’s changing the way we do business, the way we are governed, and the way we live in our society. It is apparent that the Internet is an inherently social medium. That will not change, as people will always want to engage with one another online, and social media will be there in one form or another to accommodate this need. In my case, with the presidential election as well as many other important issues throughout the world, social media puts it directly in my face at all times. There is no going around it, no matter what.

Xo,

Monique