Social News-works?

We live in a social media world, one where people are checking their Facebook before getting out of bed, a constant wheel of refresh, scroll, refresh, scroll.

When most citizens have a Facebook app on their personal device but not one for current events, how are people getting their news? Unfortunately, their newsfeed.

It's hard to gauge exactly what impact social networks have had on the media, but the fact that most every media outlet has a social media prescience on almost every platform available is a strong indication that the impact is a big one.  

Outlets that formerly reached out to their audience through one main facet have transitioned to give their readers an array of options from which to obtain news, branching out across the generations to cater to all possible venues using manners from print to snapchat.

In my opinion, social media has somehow extinguished and increased the competition between media outlets. Many Facebook users are clicking news articles that are shared by their mutual friends, as they appear in their newsfeeds, when an article catches their attention or pertains to them in some way. They aren't actively seeking out news from a specific outlet, making it more important to have an eye catching, attention drawing headline that makes users want to click your link over others that appear on their timeline.

The one constant on all platforms is one that has been true for ages, the headline is key. A good headline will make people want to read the article, even if the article itself may not be that interesting.

As for the impact of social media on news, that is still to be determined. But for now, here’s some of my favourite clever, eye-catching and just downright insane headlines:

This article about a woman who surprised her homicidal husband at her own funeral 

No explanation necessary 

This clever headline about the Well's Fargo crash.

The "rotten" (rot-in) French Politics.... I really like a play on words.