Essay On Gatekeeping In Social Media

The journalist’s role has been altered to one in which they no longer limit what information is available, but instead direct the audience toward vetted information that the journalist considers credible (Bruns, 2003). Failures within journalism are part of the reason for the industry’s loss in influence; as media companies failed to update their products in time to adjust to an Internet and convergence-driven environment on the web (Bruns, 2008). There is no reason that journalists cannot have a sizable role within media ecosystem based on sharing content, yet for this to succeed journalists must show the public the value of their experience and education (Bruns, 2011). The idea of gatewatching connects to the nature of the web where people link to both references they used to produce material and other content they believe to be relevant or interesting (Bruns & Highfield, 2015). Gatekeeping represents method of selecting information for the audience

Mass media were classically a buffer between the public and those with power and influence; however, social media has removed that buffer (Verdegem, D 'heer & Mechant, 2013). Part of social media’s importance is to allow a substantial amount of people to share information, much more so than was possible in the blogosphere (Bruns & Highfield, 2015). Both journalists and the public utilize social media as a method of sharing information and attempting to engage the audience (Bruns & Highfield, 2015). Social media further blurs the divisions between journalists and the public (Bruns & Highfield, 2015). In fact, social media to at least some degree puts everyone on relatively equal footing as it relates to sharing information, at least as it relates to the