Adoption and Use of Social Media in the Newsroom Operations of Selected Television Stations in Nigeria

Just about two decades or more ago, journalists and audience relied heavily on direct sources and heavily relied on them for firsthand information on happenings. Whereas journalists relied on people (sources) and events for news, audience patiently waited for journalists to process news and get them delivered at news time. However, all that has changed in modern times – and the phenomena responsible for that are technological innovations such as the new media, of which social media is part and parcel. Advancement in technology is bridging the gap and ensuring things are done differently. Social media is gradually gaining the influence of being a major source of news for all – audience and journalists alike. The innumerable ways newsroom staff explore possibilities of the technology is what this research sought to unravel. With the use of survey methodology, the study investigated specific ways social media is affecting newsroom operations of television stations in Nigeria. Findings of the research show that social media adoption in the media organisations studied is reasonably high and the platforms serve as sources of news just as they are equally used for news dissemination. The study recommends that while the adoption is necessary, users of social media (especially journalists) must be wary as platforms can easily be used to spread unverified information and outright misinformation.