Social media and mobile tech has created ‘citizen editors’
New research has found social media and mobile technology has created a generation of exceptionally skilled ‘citizen editors’.
The study, based on 7,500 respondents, found media consumers have adapted to the 24/7 media environment by developing editorial controls and filters, with 56 per cent of people saying they don’t feel bombarded by content or messaging.
More than a third (36 per cent) say they feel more in control of the news they receive since owning a smartphone or tablet and 70 per cent say social media has made it easier to access news, with more than four in five 18-24 year-olds and three-quarters of female respondents saying they feel social media has brought them closer to the media.
Jack Peat, Head of Digital at 72Point, said: “The perception that consumers can’t cope with a wealth of content needs to be challenged – this research suggests we have adapted to cope with it.
“Citizen editorship is the term we use to describe the funnel used by consumers to filter out content that is irrelevant to them.
“Our research shows consumers have become agents in the media cycle, choosing who to follow based on the content they’re most keen on receiving and becoming more powerful as a result.
“Similarly, when our interests change or we’re disappointed by our supplier , we reshape who we follow to minimise the amount of superfluous content heading our way.”
Almost a quarter of people say they have friends or follow people who they regard as authorities for news and almost one in five (19 per cent) say they trust their friends to source news. A quarter still rely on media professionals, but a similar amount (23 per cent) say they rely on a mixture of both journalists and friends.
The research found that people consume an average of 5.9 media stories a day, with almost one in ten consuming more than 16 stories a day. A massive 95 per cent of respondents said they consume media on multiple devices and almost half (48 per cent) take a multi-channel approach to media, merging digital, print and broadcast channels into their own preferred mix.
Peat added: “Both traditional and digital media are moving towards delivering flexible, relevant content that transcends channels and platforms in order to cater for citizen editors.
“With social media an increasingly important part of the media mix, it is essential that a variety of media is delivered in order to reach intended audiences.
“We foresee video and multimedia to be an increasingly important part of that mix, but we don’t expect that to be at the expense of other media types, namely because people have become better skilled at filtering out the content that appeals to them.”
