laurenconnor

March 30, 2011 · 4:35 pm

LIFEBOOK

Has ‘Facebook’ really taken over?

Are you one of the 500 million users on Facebook?

That’s 1 in 13 people in WORLD using the social networking site and 50% of them log into facebook every given day. 48% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook when they wake up, with 28% doing so before even getting out of bed. The 35+ demographic is growing rapidly, now with over 30% of the entire Facebook user base. The core 18-24 year old segment is now growing the fastest at 74% year on year.

There are over 500 million active users currently on facebook. 50% of those users log into Facebook everday.The average user has 130 friends and creates 90 pieces of content each month. You can check out some other statistics here

But yes.. i think it’s fair to say that facebook is taking over..

I don’t think we actually realise how much we all incorporate Facebook into our daily routines. If you’re bored you check Facebook. Even if your not bored, you will still check Facebook.

On a night out, at a gig, on a shopping trip, in a lecture.. you will probably update your status. You will express your mood, your feelings, your thoughts. You will upload images, comment friends and do the occassional bit of facebook stalking.

Are you guilty of saying ‘THAT’S MY NEW PROFILE PICTURE!’ after a photo has been taken on a night out? .. or even asking someone if they ‘saw something on facebook’. My guess is yes.. I know I am.

WHY ARE WE SO ADDICTED?

Is it the colours? The layout? The fact all your friends have it or is it because we simply have nothing better to do?

Facebook allows people to create an entirley different personality or even express who they are through joining groups. It also serves a way of making new friends and giving people a false sense of social contact with people. You can pretty much upload everything that’s going on in your life, kind of like having a diary. People can still access pictures of you from years ago and even comments you have previously posted.

There are so many possible reasons to why so many are addicted, but I think it’s mainly because were all so god damn nosey!

Print.. or Broadcast?

Decisions, decisions.

It’s that time of year.. it’s time to choose my modules for next year. It feels strange even thinking about my next year at uni. Sorting out next year’s accommodation was enough of a hassle, but choosing my modules? Christ, it feels like this year has flew by before i’ve even had chance to blink.

There are pro’s and con’s of whichever route I take. Print is obviously going to be focusing on newspapers and magazines and well, a lot of writing involved. Broadcast? I can only assume it will be a lot of TV/radio work, script writing and also more practical based way of working.

However, i’ve come to a decision.. broadcast is the winner!

There’s something about broadcast journalism which excites me. I would just must more prefer being active with my work, travelling to interviews, filming, recording, editing.. and in my opinion it just doesn’t get boring, there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. I’ve found that i’m much more motivated with my work when it’s broadcast too.

I’m looking forward to finally getting started and really getting stuck in. This year has been a bit of a blur, topped with modules i’ve hated (UK JOURNALISM!) and a few i’ve enjoyed. Bad results and good..

Some of my classmates at UCLAN have been posting about their opinion on the course so far and which route they’re thinking of taking next year. You can read what Hannah Collins is doing here.

My future?

I really have no idea what’s install me. I purely picked this degree because I figured it would be something i’d enjoy and hopefully maybe even be good at.. I never really thought about where i’d be in 10 years or what kind of job i’d get. So bring on year 2!

Image from:

http://anorak.co.uk/

Beware, this is the first time I’ve ever blogged. Be gentle.

The future of Journalism?

The future is certainly… uncertain. We simply cannot anticipate what is yet to come with new technologies being designed to advance our current standards.

I sometimes wonder why I even decided to pay £3,000+ on a Journalism degree when all’s I hear about is the negativities of the job. Its competitive, demanding and hard work, but I think this is exactly the kind of challenge I need.

‘THERE ARE NO JOBS IN JOURNALISM’

If I had a £1 for every time someone said that to me, I wouldn’t need to be getting myself a degree in the first place. But really, how are there possibly not any jobs?

We’re always needed, to dig out information about current events, people, trends and issues and turn them into an article, a TV programme or even a radio show. It’s competitive but don’t you think we know that already? I mean come on; we’ve all got ourselves a Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and now a BLOG. Just like every other Journalist out there, so give me a break. Jeeze.

But this is the problem. Journalism is too popular. It’s a struggle to be original and to stand out from everyone else, when EVERYONE is trying to do the same thing. You need passion, enthusiasm and dedication… news is everywhere, you’ve just got to find it.

Our future? – I honestly don’t know the answer.

Things are changing so quickly, ‘out with the old and in with the new’. Take Newspapers for example, they’re not dead yet. Last time I checked they were still in good health, just not as popular as they once were. This doesn’t mean to say they’re going to just disappear; there is still an audience for them, my dad for example.

After reading some other blogs on a similar kind of topic, I found that there are different kinds of views for what the future holds for journalism. My classmates at UCLAN have posted their views which you can read here and here.

ONLINE. Now this is where it’s at. Some would even say that this IS the future. It’s fast paced and it has everything we need. TV, news, music, gossip, podcasts… it’s everything that journalism stands for rolled into one. Its on-the-go, accessible even available via mobiles.

All in all, I’m quite open-minded about the future of Journalism. I don’t think there is an answer to where the future lies; it’s something that will develop on its own. The path I’m interested in is the broadcast route. But who knows what’s install for me?