THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICIPATORY MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

ABSTRACT.The aim of the present study is to examine and evaluate the use of social media as a source of news, the collaborative co-creation of news, and the dynamics of professional news practices. The results of the current study converge with prior research on the potential relevance of the audience as news sources, innovative forms of news production, and the need for verification and trust measures in social networks. This research makes conceptual and methodological contributions to the impact of social media on media consumption, the dissemination of news through online interactions, and the reliability of the information available in social networks.Keywords: social media; news production; collaborative co-creation1. IntroductionThe mainstay of the paper is formed by an analysis of the capacity of mediated representations to frame social action (Popescu Ljungholm, 2014a), content created or filtered aside from professional channels, digital network for real-time news, and user behavior on social networks. The analysis presented in this paper contributes to research on the interplay between mainstream media and social media, the growth of news as a social activity, the filtering of news sources, and the collaborative creation and curation of news content. The theory that I shall seek to elaborate here puts considerable emphasis on the integration of social content (Nica, 2014) by news organizations, the flow of news and information among networked publics, platforms for networked flows of information, and the emergence of social media as a source for breaking news. The purpose of this article is to gain a deeper understanding of patterns of media consumption, the influence of audiences in framing news content through social networks, the interplay between the professional and citizen-driven fields of journalism and media production, and the potential for media users to participate in the creation and dissemination of their news.2. The Impact of Social Media on Media ConsumptionBoosted by the development of influential social networks (Popescu, 2014), individuals can produce, cooperate and share their own media. Media companies should be more interested in the dynamics of clout and trust in thirdparty networks. The boundary between professional and personal has become vague amid a compelling tide of interconnected news sources and outputs. Relevant media have lost their dominance of the creation of news, and struggle to keep their control of distribution. Increased time spent with social media may subvert the business patterns that have fostered high-quality journalism. Mainstream media corporations are taking a growing interest in the function of social media (mainstream media play a key function in determining the agenda of social media). Fragments of information in social networks are inciting interest in news events, the range and type of content being created have transformed as a consequence of the Internet, and news organizations are intensifying their endeavors to disseminate and sell the narratives they write. Editorially improved social media narratives are more persuasive than automated headline feeds. (Newman, 2011) Social communication that is generally event-based and event-driven is privileged. Evolving means of communication characterized by their connected and collaborative nature permit interactions that break up authorial structures (it is unattainable to process every fragment of information). New media platforms operating outside of the borders of institutional publication and broadcast structures allow for practices that detour from established conventions, thus norms of objectivity, accountability and gatekeeping being reconfigured (their unstructured, open space facilitates the public expression of personal commentary, whereas their openness and instantaneity affect sourcing and verification), and established distinctions between newsmaker, news reporter and news consumer being unclear. …