Forces at the Gate: Evolving Journalistic Use of Social Media As News Consumers’ Habits Shift

Abstract

Abstract
This commentary, grounded in a decade of research and informed by Gatekeeping and Diffusion of Innovations theories, examines how the adoption of mobile and social media has transformed journalistic practice in the digital era. Drawing from my peer-reviewed publications and a solo- authored textbook, I analyze the shifting dynamics of newsgathering, content distribution, and audience engagement. These transformations are viewed in the context of evolving audience behaviors and economic imperatives. The research discusses how journalists now operate in a complex media ecosystem, where the audience plays a more active role and traditional newsroom hierarchies are disrupted. Journalists are expected to maintain transparency, engage interactively with the public, and develop personal brands on social platforms—all while upholding core journalistic standards. Concurrently, newsroom social media policies (SMPs) have struggled to keep pace, often proving reactionary rather than proactive. While SMPs increasingly address journalistic professionalism based on norms of the industry, they frequently lack guidance on verification of social media content and protection for journalists from online harassment. The contribution of my work is threefold: it establishes a framework to study and teach journalism in the age of mobile and social media; it highlights the labor implications and ethical tensions of journalists’ evolving roles; and it identifies gaps in newsroom policy that impact journalistic autonomy and public trust. By articulating these shifts and proposing strategies to balance innovation with journalistic standards, this research advances theoretical and applied understanding of journalism.

Date of Award	12 Jun 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Portsmouth
Supervisor	James Dennis (Supervisor) & Tom Sykes (Supervisor)