Argumentative Research Paper on if Social Media is ruining the News Specific

Essay #3 – Argumentative Research Paper.
Is Social Media Ruining the News?

Social media websites and digital applications are “interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation or sharing of information, ideas, career interests, and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks” (Wikipedia). Social media, as we know it today, roughly began in late-1994 with a website called Classmates.com. It has since evolved into a mainstream instant communication tool for individuals, corporations, and governments around the world to share current events happening in communities, pictures of family or selfies or both, pictures of pets, posts on status updates including life-events like marriage, divorce, graduations, and even pictures of food or my favorite, empty plates of food. Social media also offers a platform for people to post instructional videos and engage in a debatable poll.

Social media websites also hold the power to deliver the news. In the era of alternative facts or fake news, it is difficult to discern what is real and what is fake. However, social media websites like Facebook and Twitter are often quoted in traditional news outlets like The New York Times, NBC/ABC/CBS News, CNN, and Fox News.

Essay Prompt:

For this research paper, you are to examine how social media operates in relation to traditional news. To what extent is social media ruining traditional news outlets.

Here are some questions to help start forming your argument:

What is the traditional news?
Is social media complicating traditional news or highlighting traditional news?
What are the implications of receiving news via social media outlets?
Is there a generational issue the is killing traditional news versus social media sites? If so, what are those issues?
How does modern technology such as iPhones contribute to delivering news via social news rather than through traditional outlets such as newspapers or nightly network news?
How are alternative facts contributing to how news is perceived in social media?
Are some social media sites better than others?
Choose one of the following social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn.
Research how news originated or shared on this chosen site is distributed.
Write a thesis-driven argumentative paper that takes a firm position on how social media is, or is not, ruining traditional news.
Research Paper Guidelines and Requirements:
Minimum 7 – 8 pages. (Any essay turned in with less than 7 pages will earn a zero)
Minimum four sources: two of the sources MUST be scholarly articles found on Google Scholar or SBCC’s library database such as CG Researcher or Opposing Viewpoints in Context, etc.
Must be in MLA format with properly formatted in-text citations and a properly formatted Works Cited list. (Any essay that does not show improvement from essay #1 or #2 on Works Cited formats will earn a zero)
Word documents only –no PDFs, Google or OneDrive shared links accepted. PDFs, Pages, or TXT files or google doc links will not receive any feedback.
No emailed assignments accepted; no exceptions.
Late submissions of rough drafts will not receive feedback: no exceptions.
Research Paper Due Dates: *note-these are new due dates than on the original schedule
Rough draft due Sunday, 11/15 by 11:59 PM.
Final draft due Sunday, 11/22 by 11:59 PM.