Absorb What's Useful

Today people receive more news in a weekly newspaper  than the average human in the 18th century received in a lifetime.  Yet with the convergence of social media platforms traditional media business models are looking more like the 18th century than the 21st century.  Are social media websites like Twitter, Mashable and Alltop becoming the new CNN, NBC, and BBC?  How does citizen journalism play a role now that more people have the ability to report from the ground first hand?

In the near future I see myself personally using digital storytelling in various social media marketing campaigns for clients that hire me to produce viral videos.  As more brands, non profits and organizations target larger audiences they are looking for quality videos with a unique story that can help promote their causes, products and company history.  Another usage of social media that I plan to implement in my business is to produce mini documentaries on topics that are often overlooked like environmental issues, indigenous cultures, and untold biographies.  With so many interesting stories in the world now is the time we can make them them at a faster rate and share them with niche or broad audiences.

When CNN began to integrate Twitter feeds on its daily news shows we realized that media is moving faster and people are demanding their information to updated faster.  I think that the usage of microblogging in traditional media outlets is just another form of communication that allows viewers and users to join inclusive debates or possibly fact check some news.  This interactive involvement is good for the receivers as well as the content providers who can create sub categories based from the responses they get from the viewers.  Many people are so anxious to get information whether it is accurate or developing they still want to make conversation with their peers at the water cooler, barber shops or bars just to stay ahead of others.

I think that Jimmy Fallon’s social media strategy put more emphasis on the word “social” than on media in the early stages since he actually leverage his popularity to appear on websites that attracted tech savvy viewers months ahead.  He personally took the time to make sure that he was were his future audience would be after his late night show was aired.  Just as President Barack Obama made sure to utilize various websites to communicate to his target audiences to create a social appeal first that then translates to a multimedia movement that the provider can then use as an advantage.  Will this same strategy work for everyone or every company I don’t think so but I do think that making sure your presence on these social media websites are authentic is more important than how many “followers” or “friends” you have.

Which brings me back to the why digital storytelling is so key when producing content.  You have to take into consideration that now people can view something more than once and they can share it with others who were not checking for it in their own digital landscape.  The capabilities are endless nowadays and if you are creative you can make something that impacts others or make others laugh at something normally serious.