The Zing

The Zing

As we listened to the interview with Brooke Gladstone and Alex Goldman from On The Media, the first time in class, I was a bit confused about what the deal was with the "Zing of Authority".  It was a bit confusing to truly understand what she was really talking about.  Then she explained more about the zing and its more about how information comes straight from a source.  During the interview the police scanner was the zing, as the information came in real time from the police which made it authentic. 

In the past few years social media has boomed and has made people more impatient when it comes to getting information.  According to this article "Twitter dominates the intersection of social media and news.

 We no longer want to wait for the morning newspaper or the evening news to get our information and updates.  People like the instant gratification of being able to pick up their smartphone and have instant access to information.   Some of the news applications I have on my phone push a notification when big news stories happen.

When the Boston marathon bombing occurred people went to the place where they could get up to date information about anything happening, Twitter.  According to Mitchell & Rosenstiel, "Twitter users, though, the news links come from a more even mix of family and friends and news organizations. Most of these users also feel that without Twitter, they would have missed this kind of news."  Social media can make our lives easier, though it is hard to know if all the sources are relying correct information and it may only a small details.

Bruce Kasanoff said, "Remember, to elevate social media to the heights of social influence, you must speak with an authentic voice." This quote relates to what Gladstone is referring to in her podcast.   Individuals over social media present information that may not always be correct, as it seems that we all like to be the first to report about certain events going on.  I frequently see people make comments on well known companies Facebook pages racing to be the first commenter on a certain post, people get a thrill with being number one, which is part of the Zing.

Social media has changed the way we communicate over the past few years.  We have to be careful when we read comments from people that aren't credible or aren't authorized sources, as people like to post things they hear whether they are correct or not. We all want to have that “Zing” feeling of being the first to post or comment about something, but it's up to us as individuals to make sure we communicate accurately.

Mitchell, A. & Rosenstiel, T. (2011) What Facebook and Twitter Mean for News.  Retrieved from

http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/mobile-devices-and-news-consumption-some-good-signs-for-journalism/what-facebook-and-twitter-mean-for-news/

Kasanoff, B. (2013)
How authenticity elevates social mediahttp://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130311124041-36792-never-forget-authenticity-elevates-social-media