Nothing has done more to ruin young press operatives than Twitter. The basic blocking and tackling of press has been lost to the instantaneous food fight of the social media site famous for its 140-character delivery.
Snark, substance-less witticisms, and gotcha moments on social media have replaced the hard spade work of pitching stories, developing relationships with reporters, and the basics of an efficient press operation.
Social media has become the hot commodity for campaigns and like the snake oil salesman of the past, people are saying it will cure every political ill. But in the rush to rightfully develop a strong social media presence, too many young campaign operatives have lost sight of what actually moves persuadable voters.
First of all, it sounds like Mark Harris has had some bad experiences with press staffers. Having said that, I've never heard a single person suggest that social media will cure political ills. If there's ever been an incurable disease, it's politics!
In writing about the Harris story, Cizzilla offers his take on the influence of Twitter:
Viewed broadly then, I am still on Twitter's side when it comes to its influence on politics. Has it helped supercharge some of the traits -- making mountains out of molehills, insularity in terms of opinion, navel-gazing, egotism -- the political community has always possessed? Absolutely. But, it's also become a remarkable information source for political junkies -- whether you work in the business or not -- and provided insight on and access to politicians (not to mention celebrities and athletes) that was unimaginable even a decade ago.
As a political junkie, I wholly concur with this assessment. For better or worse, Twitter has made it far easier to track what's happening in the world of politics. Especially during down times (like standing in line to order a sandwich!).
Social media won't replace journalism and well-researched stories. But social media compliments traditional media in two important ways.
First, it allows for instantaneous reporting of events as they happen. For example, the events playing out in Ferguson, Missouri have been covered heavily on Twitter by multiple sources as the events happened. Not hours later or the next day. There's great value in that. Of course, Twitter users should be cognizant that 140-character tweets don't provide the necessary context to fully understand the totality of an event. That's why professional journalism and long-form stories will always remain essential.
But sometimes even these stories can be flawed or agenda-driven. That's where the second advantage of social media (and blogs) comes into play. Social media creates opportunities for dialogue and disparate perspectives. You don't have to read a story and wait until you're at a bar or the dinner table to talk about it. You can discuss the story immediately and your opinions can be shared widely. And people can respond in kind.
In my view, Twitter in particular, and social media in general create tremendous opportunities for outreach and engagement. And this goes beyond the realm of politics. Of course, any communication strategy that doesn't utilize all forms of media is flawed. But there's an entire generation of younger voters that will rely heavily on social media sources like Twitter to stay up on the news. The challenge will be on the education system to emphasize critical thinking skills and discernment in an era where people will be bombarded with information like never before.
And that's why professional journalism will be more, not less important in a world dominated by social media. The traditional news outlets and political operatives that figure out how to effectively intertwine traditional journalism and social media will be the winners.
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