#JournalismMatters

On Monday, February 25th, 2019 the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications hosted Sarah Glover. The 21st President of the National Association of Black Journalists came back to her alma mater to talk to students about social media, storytelling, and digital journalism and how they play a part in the newsroom.

“Because of this age of social media and digital media, we’re exposed to things in real-time. We do not have to wait until the morning to get the headlines.” It was interesting to hear Sarah reiterate a lot of the concepts taught in my PRL 215: Public Relations Writing for the Digital World.

Social media platforms provide the public to have access to real-time news while it is happening. For example, a platform like Instagram has been used to broadcast protests as they happen and gives society the freedom to publicize what they choose.

Though social media is a great resource to stay up to date with news worldwide, it also gives a voice for politics. When I was younger, I vividly remember following Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” campaign through the television. Any drastic move made throughout the campaign was televised nationally.

I have seen how social media usage between Presidents has changed. President Donald Trump has Twitter at his disposal and uses it to voice his opinions and political decisions. The impact that President Trump’s tweets have had is impressive because it was not around for past presidents.

Do you think presidents should be allowed to tweet at their own disposal or should there be some process before it gets published?

YOU CAN’T ESCAPE YOUR PAST

While responding to a question from the audience, Sarah Glover mentioned a USA Today employee who became headlines for a picture from a yearbook that had resurfaced. Glover could not remember the name of the woman who was now an editor at USA Today, and that immediately made me want to figure out who it was. I wanted to know everything, who she was, what was the picture, can I actually see it, what statement did she put out, and just about anything else about the story. I am a naturally curious person, but I realized that I always have these moments where I want to find more out.

As Professor Luttrell so eloquently explained, these are micro-moments. The moments where people used one source of information to discover another piece or connection. This ties in the idea that social media allows consumers to have an “aha” moment.

BRING IT BACK

This all ties into a theme that was presented in the textbook, According to Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect by Regina M. Luttrell. The idea is that there are three things that draw in a consumer: personalization, lifestyle, and exclusivity.

Personalization is a brand sharing entertaining, expressive content that conveys their best story. (Luttrell, 130) In short, this means that each brand will have something that is unique to its own brand which will be translated into different curated content.

Lifestyle is a brand’s way of promoting the brand as a part of a choice and one that should be enjoyed with friends. (131) Essentially, this type of content would convey a story that is centered around living life with friends and each individual's story.

The last and my personal favorite is exclusivity. This method allows the consumer to see exclusive photos, including behind-the-scenes looks at their favorite companies. In my opinion, based on personal experiences, I think that exclusivity is what sparks brand loyalty. A brand that has effectively promoted itself and allowed for their market to feel a sense of community within the brand.

When do you become loyal to a brand? What does it take for you to be exclusive to and repeat consumers for that one brand as opposed to its competitors?