Literature review Running Head

Running Head: WITH MORE FREEDOM COMES MORE RESPONSIBILITY

With More Freedom Comes More Responsibility

Kelly A. Willard

Arizona State University

WITH MORE FREEDOM COMES MORE RESPONSIBILITY

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Abstract

This paper highlights the effect that retrieving news from social media has had on how people

interact with each other, the effect it has had on journalism, and the phenomenon behind viral

news sharing. With the development and rising popularity of social media, more people are using

this as their preferred way of retrieving news and more organizations are tailoring their content

for social media. As a result, the way people interact with news today is very different from the

way people have interacted with it in the past. Traditional methods of journalism are rapidly

changing and it is important to understand the impact it has had on our society. This paper

gathers information studies conducted by a few social scientists including Lee, Ma, Lindsey,

Kim, Weeks, Holbert, and Chan to suggest that a variety of studies should be examined to

provide a conclusive view. The intention of this paper is to show that the development of

technology is never solely “good” or “bad” and understanding the effects of technology can aid

people in making decisions that will facilitate good outcomes.

WITH MORE FREEDOM COMES MORE RESPONSIBILITY

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With More Freedom Comes More Responsibility

With the development and rising popularity of social media, more people are neglecting

traditional methods of consuming news and are opting for the retrieval of news through social

media. This shift has changed the way people interact with news sources, organizations, and each

other. This change has brought a few positive changes such as easier access to news, a larger

platform to express one’s opinion, unfiltered news, and more freedom to share and distribute

news, to name a few. With positives comes negatives, such as large floods of information, the

spread of inaccurate or false information, and an increase in political disagreements leading to

heightened tension between peers. In the age where news is distributed via social media, the