Was it actually social media that killed the radio star?

Credit: Adobe stock photo

Do you still listen to the radio? The industry I’ve worked in for the last 18 years has gone through a massive transformation in the last decade especially. At one time radio was your first stop when looking for breaking news or immediate answers, that was the excitement of it from the perspective of the voice behind the mic. As a listener, if you got stuck in a traffic jam you’d tune in to find out what was going on or tune in if you wanted a weather update or to hear about news in your area, I even remember tuning in just to find out what time it was on my way in to work some mornings. Now, peoples first instinct is to seek those answers online, and why not? It’s truly immediate. You can find the forecast, traffic reports, information on news and events in your area even the time exactly as you want it, you don’t even have to wait for the song to end and the DJ to hopefully deliver you the information you were looking for, it’s all at your fingertips. Even the music you want to hear is on your personal playlist anytime you want it. You don’t have to hear 4 songs in a row that you can’t stand just to get to that new one you love.

Radio stations still have an important role as information providers in communities but the online platforms are just as important now as the on air product. I feel like most people who still listen to radio do so in the car but once the AM/FM radio isn’t a standard feature how many people will be tuning in? There are a lot of up hill battles for the industry and while many will defend it’s likelihood of continued existence I’m struggling to see how. In fact this article from digitalmusicnews.com explains exactly how many hurdles the industry is facing at the moment and in my opinion shows a more realistic analysis than some I’ve seen from within the industry itself.

With so many sources for music and news/information and the compatibility for those sources with services like Apple Carplay and smart speakers for your home or office, why would you need anything else? Unless you love listening to 5 minute blocks of commercials of course.

I’m curious to hear from you, what’s your take on this topic? Are you a loyal radio listener? Or do you think it’s on the verge of extinction?

Facebook: Did social media kill the radio star? Some of us think so. Click here for the full story.

Twitter: Social media to blame for radio struggles? #Didnthelp https://bit.ly/2BSWDEK

Social Media: The Vigilante Superpower

While it pains me to give “chair girl” anymore attention, I feel this is an important topic and a story which proves how powerful social media is and how fast it’s becoming one of the greatest tools in policing.

I’d be willing to bet my use of the term “chair girl” didn’t even raise eyebrows, you knew exactly who I was writing about, didn’t you? The woman who tossed a chair over a high rise balcony, with zero concern of who may get hurt down below. This moronic stunt was filmed and posted online, it seems the goal was for attention, maybe the hopes for a viral video, which was a success but more importantly this gave proof of the power of social media and the inability to hide from the scrutiny of it’s users.

I first saw the video on Facebook, it seems one of my friends was mentioned in a comment someone had posted about the video. My reaction was the same as most. Complete shock and disgust for such reckless behaviour. But what was amazing was from the time I first saw the video to the time the woman was identified and dealing with police was a matter of a day.

Before social media, if a stunt like that was found out about at all, police would have had a massive task of determining a likely area that the chair fell from and then do extensive door to door questioning in that suspected area in an effort to find who was responsible. With social media however, all that leg work is done for them. The speed that information and opinion or even a call to action spreads online is mind blowing and in a case like this, it’s a great tool to bring accountability to the person or people responsible.

Of all the coverage and opinion I’ve seen on the matter, there has only been one picture of where the chair landed and the damage it caused. Luckily a person didn’t get in it’s way. I agree with the person who shared that photo, in that I think when these things happen it’s important to focus on the consequence of the action and not put the attention on the perpetrator, who was looking for a reaction in the first place.

We are seeing the presence of police forces online more and more, law enforcement realizes the reach and potential of social media as well as the ability and desire of it’s users to help when asked to locate a person or share any information they may have. Social media is becoming one of their most valuable tools in investigations and I feel its use will only become more commonplace. Do you think policing and social media are a good mix or does the platform give too much power to public opinion and vigilantes?

Facebook: Social media is a crime fighters paradise. But, is it a great tool for police or too much power for the vigilante? https://bit.ly/2SBg1k7

Twitter: Social media is a #crimefighters paradise https://bit.ly/2SBg1k7