Media Essay Sample: The Impact of Twitter on Agenda Sitting in Newsroom - Dubai News Center

The field of communications has experienced tremendous changes ranging from the introduction of the radio, printing press, internet, television as well as mobile phones. Therefore, for there to be an effective communication in journalism one is expected to adapt to the new advances. Notably, in Arab nations such as Dubai, the domestic media operations are profoundly influenced by their governments. In that, the research points out that the United Arab Emirates functions as the sole host of satellite television networks that provides world information in the entire Arab world (Worsfied, 2013). Nonetheless, in the majority of Arab states, any media outlets that are involved in unlawful publications can face criminal prosecution.

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However, in the recent past, the use of Twitter has revolutionized the media in the Arab World hence changing news consumption. This implies that the information that used to be slowly transmitted due to the government regulations is now read in real time through the various tweets that are tweeted across the nations (Lee, 2013). Moreover, every person has a printing press on their hands, unlike other media houses that are regulated by the government. Half of the Twitter users have shared new stories videos and pictures, and a majority of them have managed to discuss new issues or events affecting their various countries.

Twitter has become a significant source of information that provides breaking news and what is happening in the world at large. With the millions of cell phones in consumer's hands, it is now very obvious that every issue that arises is being recorded and shared to all the other users on Twitter and other social media platforms. Individuals have shared their tweets within the midst of the news which comprises of the instances where persons have tweeted their participation in various issues or disasters affecting the public. As a consequence, many people do not rely on the newspapers and associated press as well as other traditional means of acquiring information since the information they want to know about is right on their hands.

On the other hand, Agenda Theory was developed by Maxwell and Donald Shaw in the early 1970s. The core reason for its proposal was to correct the widely held discernment that media effects are instantaneous replications of media consumption. In that, the Agenda Setting Theory holds that the coverage is not adequate; therefore, the content being shared on social media prerequisites to be salient to the public before being posted and consumed (McCombs & Shaw, 1972). Through the application of electric survey on random individuals who work in Dubai news center and have Twitter accounts, it was discovered that the hashtag activism pays more attention to the concept of filtering through the kind of information that needs to be consumed by other users. In so doing, they are complying with the Agenda Setting Theory since they tweet relevant information, real-time information, public opinions and reactions on the various breaking news.

To sum up, Twitter has become an extremely easy to access communication tool hence making the community to rally behind an opinion or a cause. As a result, the collective reporting perspective that is enhanced on Twitter can directly cause social activism through the various online campaigns being tweeted. Therefore, Twitter has become a widespread platform for a majority of people as well as the journalists. Twitter gives journalist with an opportunity to expand their routine activities by providing immediate feedback from the audience. However, Twitter users must remain cautious and gauge what is right and what is fiction. In that Twitter has created an environment where anyone can create a story and trend across the globe very quickly.

References

Lee, D. (2013). How Twitter changed the world, hashtag-by-hashtag. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-24802766.

McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187.

Wolfsfeld, G., Segev, E., & Sheafer, T. (2013). Social Media and the Arab Spring: Politics Comes First. International Journal of Press/Politics, 18(2), 115-137. Doi: 10.1177/1940161212471716.