The New Media has taken over. Alex Jones is almost a household name and groups like Luke Rudkowski’s We Are Change have revolutionized how people get information. People have been sharing and writing up their own blogs as means of information and if we were to look at something new, it would be twitter; news which can be tweeted over millions of people around the world in a short span of time.

John Kerry once had stated before a group of State Department workers that the audience “that the world has been complicated by … this little thing called the Internet and the ability of people everywhere to communicate instantaneously and to have more information coming at them in one day than most people can process in months or a year.”

Why do we then turn to the alternative, because there is no real information nor substance on mainstream media. And even news titles are experiencing a print decline, because people are moving onto web. And the web as we all know is one hell of a powerful tool. People seem to assume that the alternative media outlets tend to have a smaller, faithful following that seeks a unique viewpoint whereas the mainstream tends to value society’s norms, and alternative media may be actively engaged in challenging those norms.

But this wasn’t always the case, it started been revolutionary when discontent grew among the audience, that is when the Internet arrived. Now people had choices. If the local paper and stations weren’t considered trustworthy and journalists seemed detached from what really mattered to them, people could find what they wanted elsewhere. The age ranges of people who turn to alternative sources may vary, older generations may not want to change their perception of things. What they have always seen in front of their screens for any years they would not want to change.

Today, we expect to share information, not be fed it. We expect to be listened to when we have knowledge and raise questions. We want news that connects with our lives and interests. we want control over the information that brings forth a connection of some sort.

Trust is key and so for many of these younger people today they don’t tend to look for news anymore because it comes to them, simply by a click of a button. They assume their network of friends, those they trust will tell them when something interesting or important happens and send them whatever their friends deem to be trustworthy sources, from articles, blogs, pod casts, Twitter feeds, or videos

This new culture is therefore more about connection and relationships. Social networks are humming because they fit the spirit of the time. A recent survey done by Pew Research Centre shows an analysis of the sources people are going to.

News plays a varying role across the social networking sites. Roughly half of both Facebook and Twitter users get news on those sites, earlier reports have shown. On YouTube, that is true of only one-fifth of its user base, and for LinkedIn, the number is even smaller. And Pinterest, a social pin board for visual content, is hardly used for news at all. So you can see, the use of technology across social media is a vital tool when it comes to obtaining news and information. Key main factors are:

• News has a place in social media  but on some sites more than others.
• Getting “news” on Facebook is an incidental experience.

78% of Facebook news users mostly see news when on Facebook for other reasons. Just 34% of Facebook news consumers “like” a news organization or individual journalist, which suggests that the news they see there is coming from friends – the same friends likely sending them posts about …everything else.

• Engagement with the news plays a key role in the social media news experience.

Not only are social network users sharing news stories, but, particularly with the growth in mobile devices, a certain portion is contributing to the reporting by taking photos or videos.

On Twitter, groups of people come together around news events they feel passionately about. But opinions expressed on Twitter often differ from broad public opinion. What we see we may not believe, therefore having this vast information which opens all doors lets us explore reality, and helps us to come to a decision.

By Maria’m AS (ed. Truthrevoloution)

Information obtained from Pew Research Centre, study of social media trends 2013-2014