The role of social media for media companies

This paper shows how media companies implement the social media strategy for their journalistic products. The objective of research is to identify approaches in which the Romanian media companies expand their production and business by considering user-generated content and social media platforms, with the purpose to draw a new online audience, and to create new media products. The media companies subject to the study, supply online general news. The methodology is based on SWOT analysis, quantitative and qualitative methods. While other studies show the user’s activities on social media platforms, this study presents the interest of the media companies for social media platforms and users’ content. The conclusions of this study show that the management methods and practices have evolved differently through the implementation of the social media platforms; in this way the solutions picked up by the media companies are different.