Communicating Institutions through Social Media – Lectorial 10

When discussing the role of institutions in media production and distribution – as we currently are in our Media 1 course – it is important to note the impact of social media on their operation. As Thomas Poell et al have said the rise of social media has greatly changed the way we interact “from making friends to debating politics.” This has encouraged an integration of social aspects and processes with conventional television broadcast. The inclusion of interactive hashtags for twitter and facebook and their place within news, current affair and entertainment broadcasts introduces a new level of audience participation – a new way for them to become involved with these institutions.

The main limitation with Poell and van Dijck’s research is that its focus on British and Dutch programming neglects the increasingly global scale with which these institutions – particularly social media – operate. The international simultaneity brought through twitter and other social networking systems is a major influence in the transformation of journalism reporting, public interest broadcasting and interactive media. Further research into global effects would find transnational institution’s adaptation of content  to communicate local and global information. Public and private institutions are relying evermore on social formats to advertise their products but also communicate their content, their codes and their values to international communities, populations and audiences.

For example the ABC’s extension from radio and television broadcasting to online forms such as blogs, podcasts, newsletters, it is common for such institutions to have twitter, facebook and instagram accounts. This is the true impact of the activity of media institutions: the use of social media as a credible means of communication from large corporations and organisations to the hands and desks of every potential consumer.

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