Twitter has changed the landscape for how news is identified and shared. Nothing new in that statement.
This week’s Oscars provide an obvious case in point.
Co-host James Franco (using #oscarsrealtime) was one of 388,717 tweeters, tweeting as the ceremony unfolded and even posting footage of his first steps onto the stage http://say.ly/BNqa5c
Tweets referencing the Oscars totaled an impressive 1,269,970, generating 1,663,458,778 potential impressions.
Contrast that with Nine’s evening replay of the event: 505 000 Australians tuned in, down nearly 200 000 last year.
To manage this evolution, what do we need to know?
We need to understand and respect – even if we disagree with the accuracy or integrity of content – the power of information shared via social media platforms
Twitter particularly provides quick, inexpensive (read: free) and measurable means to tap a community’s thoughts, gauge and manage response, and operate in real time
The passive consumption model is less valid each day; consumers want and will participate, even if they don’t know what they’re talking about
The daily news beach-head of the mastheads in print and broadcast are now part of the media landscape – not the dominant feature