Session: Media in Mutation: What is the Future of the News and Media Industry in a World of Social Networking?

Concise Description:
Sites such as Facebook and YouTube have led to a huge increase in the amount of user generated content. Social networking and new technologies mean mobile data consumption has exploded. With 700 million Facebook users and 1 billion mobile internet subscribers people can now access Internet content anytime, anywhere.

How many people now rely on blogs and Twitter for their news rather than on newspapers, the TV and radio? How much do the “traditional” media now draw on social network reporting to complete their coverage of event? And how far can we trust the accuracy of what we read on the Internet?

This workshop will look at the changes to the way Internet content is generated and used and what this might mean for the future of traditional media. The discussion will try to answer the over-arching question:

“In the age of user-generated content, how can we define the boundaries between information, anarchy, art & deception?”

The discussion will look at news and reporting and the impact that user-generated content has on more traditional news media. Will social media change the way we view and rely on news? How will users differentiate between some of the key issues associated with the changing media landscape? Issues will include:

• Trust, reliability and quality of the content.
• Liability or responsibility for that content, including the impact it might have on society.
• Who owns the content?
• What is the impact on traditional media businesses? And on the trust people place in news reporting more generally?
• How does freedom of expression balance against social responsibility?