By Michelle Caracci
OKCupid co-founder, Christian Rudder
In the recent years, social media has evolved from a place men and women can interact with other people to a place where they can also read, discuss and share news articles. However, social media websites may now have a new kind of beneficial utilization that relates to journalism.
OKCupid co-founder Christian Rudder has discovered that social media companies who are using internet data for their businesses are compiling demographic information, finding out more intimate details about peoples’ lives and transforming it into journalism.
In his narrative, Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One is Looking), Rudder explains that statistics found by researchers, such as the things people are liking on Facebook or the TV shows that are being tweeting can give writers information that can “help unveil a new understanding of the world.”
For instance, it is a common assumption that visually appealing men and women on OKCupid, a popular online dating website, will get the most attention. According to Columbia Journalism Review’s (CJR) article, this speculation is true and Rudder believes that this factual information, along with it being more difficult for black people to find love online, can be an informative story used in the journalism world.
This genre of social network analysis (SNA) journalism may be a huge breakthrough for journalists. Not only is this type of reporting used for sociology research, but it can also be used for hard hitting news reports.
The way to complete this is by quality reporting and producing enlightening stories, because that is that is what people are most interested in, said Peter Verweii, data journalist at Memeburn.com.