Today my class watched a documentary on Netflix called Inside The Hunt For The Boston Bombers. The documentary dived into the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings and how social media played a huge role in helping authorities find Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. I had no idea that it was the people on Reddit, not the FBI or detectives, who confirmed it was Tsarnaev. I actually never heard of Reddit until the past August when my boyfriend told me about it. He uses it quite frequently.
Another surprising thing I learned in this documentary was more people turned to Buzzfeed to learn about the bombings than they did the New York Times!! The Boston Marathon Bombings was actually the first time Buzzfeed ever reported on a new story. Buzzfeed was founded in 2006. It was site centered on pop culture, personality quizzes, and silly, entertaining videos. Although Buzzfeed still delivers that content, after the bombings, they started delivering news updates on the biggest current events.
I don't find it surprising that sites such as Reddit and Buzzfeed are becoming the place for people, primarily millennials, to learn about major new stories. These sites are among the most popular ones on the Web and people from my generation love convenience. We don't want to open another browser. In a poll conducted in October amongst 1,000 people, 60% of participants reported they don't trust mainstream media! I don't have a Reddit account and I hardly use Buzzfeed, but I do watch videos on YouTube every day, and credit many channels, including the Vlogbrothers and LastWeekTonight, with keeping me informed.
There is no other relationship quite like the one millennials are developing these days with Internet personalities. For many users, their favorite stars can feel like their friend because they know so much about them. That enthusiasm can make them trust whatever the personality says.
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