Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

How Mainstream Media Outlets Use Twitter

The News Agenda on Twitter vs. Traditional Platforms

The news agendas of the mainstream media and that of their analog presence on Twitter were strikingly similar during the week in which both were studied.

In all, during the week of February 14-20, 2011, four of the top five stories covered by traditional media were also the stories these outlets tweeted about most.

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Even with a similar emphasis on top stories, one difference in the way news functions in the legacy platforms versus on Twitter is priority. While the total number of posts on Twitter may be more about one subject than another, there is no structural hierarchy to posts. No one post is given higher priority, or “front-page status,” other than in how much they are shared. In 140 characters, everything is fairly equal.


FOOTNOTES

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