Mobile Apps Allow for specificity of News content

Newsrooms are changing. New technologies and new ways to reach audiences are arriving daily. One of the newest ways is reaching audiences directly through apps. University of Maryland Library's Social Media Coordinator describes his mobile news consumption and why he chooses to get his news this way:


Apps like Twitter, although not used exclusively for news allow users like Aaron to customize the content they see. Now consumers step into the role of Editor. Many are fearful that this will result in "Echo Chambers" which only reinforce strongly held beliefs as consumers only "hear" information they already agree with. However, it seems that news organizations are still respected highly in this domain with users seeking out news organizations who still retain editorial control over what gets posted online.

2015 PEW State of the News shows dominance of mobile news but journalists worry about complexity of news production for mobile.

The "State of the News" as reported by PEW Research back in April 2015, seemed to declare mobile viewership as the future of news. With statistics showing the growth in traffic online via smartphones, it would appear that the sky is the limit for mobile journalism.

However, Alison Burns, a journalism student at the University of Maryland has worries about the amount of work required to produce this type of journalism:

Indeed there are many pieces of the mobile news environment. Knowledge of video, social media, and traditional reporting are all necessary aspects of his new terrain. But as Alison notes, though challenges lie ahead so does opportunity.