An Idea for Communications Research

Is anybody interested in a challenging topic for communications research? How about a topic that might make news? I cannot find any evidence where it has been done yet, but I believe we are at a point with social media where we can obtain some useful, meaningful data on the use of social media as a "news release" medium. For example, what percentage of hard news stories have been "broken" by social media? In other words, we are talking about stories filtered out to the press through Twitter, blogging or perhaps even YouTube (remember Michael Jackson's doctor releasing an official statement via YouTube). I would also wonder how that data compares over the past five years as social media has rapidly appeared on the scene and mushroomed into a phenomenon.

Now it seems, especially on the part of celebrities, "cool" to break your story through social media. That appears to be a much more 21st century way to get a story in circulation. It may even be a more controlled way to release the story, which may account for the growing appeal. You don't have to talk to a reporter and trust them to spin your message the way you want and when you want.

There is much more in the way of research questions. Some possibilities:  Do stories broken through social media have more or less "legs?" Is the placeent of stories broken through social media better or worse? which social media venue is most popular for breaking news? Conversely,which is least popular? What types of stories are most likely to be broken through social media? How can we quantify the way social media has influenced the initiation of media-focused events? In other words, is it easier to organize a media-focused protest through social media than through traditional methods? I think there is even potential for a separate component to study the impact of social media on politics.

Finally, I am very curious to know what new social media tools will catch on and when. Maybe that can be something research could also unearth. It's simply a great time to be in communications. Here is one take on social media and journalism that may get some more research juices flowing: "The Social Media Revolution" ...