The Caffeinated Carbivore

Billboard top 100, that is. Remember Auto Tune the News? Well, they've taken another news story... ...and turned it into a song. Only this time, they've got a hit on their hands. And an article In the NYTimes ! Just another example of social media bringing people together. The media serves different purposes for us (news vs entertainment). Auto Tune the News is a sterling example of the permeable boundaries of the mediums since the dawn of social media-none are mutually exclusive, and each is connected by us, their users. Another trend exemplified by Auto Tune the News is the user-centeredness that mediums have adopted. Twitter and now the New York Times have monopolized on our desire to get quick and personalized information.

The economic down turn has negatively effected lots of businesses. While the news has a social duty to report the daily happenings, they are also a business. News papers have been altering their formats. Sunday papers are changing, and some aren't even printed! Then, of course, there's the online news sources. Not all businesses are suffering, however. Which business is booming, you ask? Social media. The New York Times has noted the change in how we read our news. Comedy Central for political knowledge , and a now a Twitter-style newscast for the NYTimes . The ap will be a more audience-focused reader. More backlash and evidence of booming social media? Our changing language. Words like " Islamophobia " describe a current social phenomena spread, and fought by, the media, and " Tumblr " is a social media company. These socially mediated terms have become such intricate pieces of our culture that they have made it to the Dictionary. A culture using...

New Newscasting. Comedy central is currently the main news source for teenagers. Some are appalled. I applaud it. John Stewart and The Colbert Report give us 20somethings the things we crave: comedy and news combined. Example from Auto Tune the News: Compared to a ethnocentric conglomerate news source, I find comedy central to be a great option. For example. Conglomerate news reporting lacks the ability to question what is being presented; it relates one point of view. Putting Democrats and Republicans on TV to battle it out is not critical thinking. Even with two viewpoints there is no supporting evidence or questioning on the part of the viewer. John Stewart provides critical thinking by asking viewers to question their sources. Watch the Parent Company Trap clip here . Some say that social media are degrading our cultures' knowledge base. First, social media has become news in and of itself. Don't have time to cruise the vast content of YouTube? Tosh.0 on comedy...