Sitting at my desk today, I made a routine Twitter check to see what's going on in the world.
Scrolling down the page, I glance over at my trending topics and spot "Orlando." Since it's technically my hometown, I decided to give it a look.
That's when I found out about the shooting at a downtown Orlando office building. Panicked, I texted my mom, who works in downtown Orlando, to make sure she's ok. I checked twitter, Google's News page and every other source I could think of to ensure that the building was not my mom's. I watched the Orlando trending topic as the story unfolded in real time, and eventually found out that the building was non my mom's. In seconds, everything was fine. Breathe out.
It made me think: Twitter is the only way I really get my news. I check it so often that I always know what the latest headlines say. Occasionally, I'll read a few articles posted by the Birmingham News or one of my favorite bloggers.
We've heard all about newspapers going under because of online news sources. But, what about twitter? It's quicker, easier and more efficient in determining which news stories are deserving of my time. A catchy headline or a twitpic are a surefire way to get me to look. I rarely pick up a USA Today paper or a NYTimes at school because I already know what's going on in the world thanks to my Associated Press, USA Today, NY Times and iGossip iPhone apps. Twitter gives me all the local news I could want, plus weather and traffic updates in real time. I would much rather read the news on my iPhone instead of opening up a large paper on the bus around campus.
I think that tweeting is going to become necessary for all news outlets, and even bloggers. If we want our message to get out to a busy, distracted audience, the best way to do so in in 140 characters. The nightly news shows are filled with "news" that I don't necessarily care about. With my phone, I can choose exactly what I want to see, streamlining the process and saving me from missing out on major events while I'm watching Gossip Girl.
How do you get your news? Am I completely wrong? Are there still people out there that would rather open up a paper?
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