Although journalists in every age group and across all coverage areas are increasingly adopting social media tools and incorporating them into daily work, “Millennial Generation†journalists have the highest usage and highest hopes for these tools, a new study from Middleberg Communications and the Society for New Communications Research has found, writes Leah McBride Mensching on sfnblog.com.
The “rapid adoption of new media and online communication among all journalists†is the “most dramatic and significant finding of this new survey,†MiddleBerg Communications stated. “The disparity in usage and perceived value of these new tools and technologies to the future of journalism is particularly striking among the youngest demographic versus the oldest.â€ÂÂ
According to study, 100 percent of millennial respondents, those ages 18 to 29, believe “new media and communications tools are enhancing journalism,†while just 40 percent of journalists ages 50 to 64 believe the same, reported the New Communications Review <http://www.newcommreview.com/?p=1368> , published by the SNCR.
Meanwhile, 87 percent of the younger age group believe bloggers “have become important opinion shapers,†compared to 60 percent of and the older generation, and 87 percent of those in the younger group also believe that “new media and communications enhances the relationship with their audience,†versus 42 percent of the older group.
According to an article by Jennifer McClure <http://www.newcommreview.com/?p=1368> , executive director of the SNCR, in New Communications Review: “it is very clear that the ‘Millennials’ – the younger journalists entering the workforce – are adopting new media and social tools more readily and seeing their value, especially in terms of collaborating with their peers and strengthening their relationships with their audiences and the people in the areas they cover. While it’s not entirely surprising that this younger generation of journalists are users of these new communications tools, it’s interesting that they understand how to use them effectively in their work, and are pushing the journalism profession as a whole to create a more collaborative, reciprocal, interactive, and fluid form of journalism.â€ÂÂ
Among all journalists, the study found that:
48 percent of all respondents use LinkedIn
45 percent use Facebook to assist in reporting
68 percent of all respondents use blogs to keep up on issues or topics of interest
86 percent of all respondents use company Web sites to research an organisation
71 percent use Wikipedia to research an organisation
46 percent use blogs to research an organisation
The study's final results will be published in the SNCR's Journal of New Communications Review. For preliminary findings, click here <http://sncr.org/2008/11/18/symposium-proceedings-2008/> . Journalists may also participate in the survey by clicking here <http://www.surveytracker.net/scripts/survey.dll?AHID=03100D> .
