"We Knocked Down The Damn Wall": Analyzing The Relationship Between Mainstream Media And Social Media

Abstract

This research focused on the emerging relationship between mainstream media and social media. The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin served as an example to demonstrate the shift from citizens being consumers of news to co-producers of news. This exploratory study examines journalistic themes through a sociological perspective, analyzing the shift in the way that shared information is produced, distributed, and interpreted. A multi-disciplinary approach, supported by quantitative and qualitative data show that mainstream media and social media are no longer two competing narratives. They have merged into a continual conversation between institutionalized media and the people, opening up the public discourse and changing the nature of news.