Your Friend as EditorThe Shift to a Personalized Social News Stream

Alfred Hermida, Fred Fletcher, Darryl Korell, Donna Logan

Future of Journalism 2011Cardiff University, 8 – 9 September

The networked audience

Marwick and boyd (2011)

Photo: Luc Legay http://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/

Sharing the news

Photo: Pricklebush http://www.flickr.com/photos/pricklebush/

Methodology• Online survey of

1,682 Canadians• 1,059 visit social

networking sites at least monthly (63 per cent) • Conducted August

26-30, 2010

Photo: SeanHagen http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebelcan/

Social networks as news sources(Internet users who visit social networking sites at least monthly; N = 1059)

Social networks: Friends and family

Social networks: News organization/journalist

Twitter updates: friends and family

Twitter updates: news organization/journalist

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

43

20

18

10

Percentage of social media users

The appeal of social news(Internet users who visit social networking sites at least monthly; N = 1059)

Find out about social or community events

Keep up with news and views

Find first-hand information about important events

Exposed to more news and information

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

76

71

63

59

Percentage of social media users

News sources on a typical day

Newspaper website

TV news website

Radio new website

News aggregator

International news website

News / commentary website

Individual blogger

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Online news consumers High social media usersMedium social media users

Attitudes to journalism

Use of social media in news reports

36

32

32

Yes No Unsure

Use of Twitter by journalists

39

34

26

Yes No Unsure

The social news consumer• Importance of social

recommendation• Preference for friends

rather than professionals• Editorial

disaggregation

Photo: Travis Jon Allison http://www.flickr.com/photos/whybesubtle/

The social news consumer• Mix of traditional and

social sources• Open to non-

traditional news sources• Canadians value

diversity in news

Photo: lotusutol http://www.flickr.com/photos/lotusutol/

Discussion• Networked publics• Reframing the news• Shaping news flows

• Evolving relationship between the media and the audience

Photo: wouldleywonderworks http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/

Thank you

• alfred.hermida@ubc.ca• @hermida

• New book out now• All royalties go to Reporters Without Borders