Social Media Commentary is Boorish - Stephen Collins - Interesting Eurobarometer Poll

[C. Flower]

Very sorry to read today that the tone of comments left on the online version of the Irish Times lacks the finesse of the hand-written letters received by the newspaper.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...322383655.html

Stephen Collins has no explanation for this phenomenon, although he doesn't like it.

He cites a Eurobarometer survey that said that people were most influenced by traditional media in their vote on the last Referendum - only 7% saying that social media was an important source. Coincidentally, (and not mentioned by Collins) this is the same percentage as said political parties were important in providing information.

Age profile could have a lot to do with the tone to which Collins objects - in the 18-25 age group, 15% mentioned social media as an important source and 22% newspapers.

The survey is interesting, although there was no clear cut question on use of online rather than print or other media.

http://www.europarl.ie/ressource/sta...esis_en_v2.pdf

Collins certainly has a point on the rather odd way that political parties and tv and radio try to engage with social media, which they clearly feel obliged to do, although they simply don't "get" it.

Collins main point is that the print media should relax a bit about online media, as tv, radio and newspapers are still overwhelmingly the most influential means for receiving important political information.

There is a trend to rely increasingly on online sources, but it is a slow trend, concentrated in the younger age group.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out over the next ten years.

[jmcc]

[quote=C. Flower;269479]

Stephen Collins has no explanation for this phenomenon, although he doesn't like it.

What laughably passes for the Irish media don't like people thinking for themselves. It puts the opinion "formers" out of a job.

Regards...jmcc

[Spectabilis]

' the at times unpleasant and boorish commentary of some of those who post comments on the web version of the paper.'

Well that is set to improve as the IT has now appointed a new communities editor.

[jmcc]

' the at times unpleasant and boorish commentary of some of those who post comments on the web version of the paper.'

Wonder how many copies of 'Breaking The Mold' does he have left? What clowns like Collins don't get is that their opinions are no better than those of anyone else.

Well that is set to improve as the IT has now appointed a new communities editor.

And there's a fake/parody John Waters account on Twitter that's funnier than the real thing.

At this stage, it might be worth betting that the IT won't survive another year.

Regards...jmcc

[Baron von Biffo]

"Following on the heels of the blow to RTÉ’s reputation caused by the broadcast of a bogus tweet during the presidential election debate last October, the dangers involved in giving too much credence to Twitter should have become clear."

It wasn't the bogus tweet that did the damage, it was the failure of the old media team at RTE to check its accuracy despite having several senior SF people in studio at the time.

I would also suggest that RTEs reputation suffered a far more serious blow when they perpetrated the worst libel in the history of the state. So far as I'm aware there was no involvement by new media in the decision to claim that a named person had raped and impregnated a child. Neither is there a record of Twitter being at fault for haughtily rejecting the victim's offer of a DNA test to prove his innocence.

And what about the hoax letter in the IT that purported to come someone who was letting his children go hungry so he could pay the mortgage? It was quickly discovered that he didn't exist yet the IT never so much as acknowledged the hoax let alone apologised for not checking their source.

Collins also has a pop at those of us who post anonymously but he seems to forget that his own paper for decades carried an anonymous column by one 'Drapier'. Ok when they do it - Sinister when we do it.

[C. Flower]

funnier than the real thing

Not possible...