Social Media Debate Position 4: Social Media and Information Services

Abstract

Social media provides a constant stream of information and offers everyday citizens an easy way to connect with breaking news. The authors of this report conducted a literature review to analyze the impact of social media on information services. This research indicated that social media can be used as a reliable information source, but its use comes with benefits and drawbacks. This report focuses on social media and information accessibility; the open playing field concept; the history and future impact of social media; research inclusivity; and the qualities of scholarly communication through social media platforms. Finally, the authors present recommendations for both public social media users and information professionals to consider when retrieving information from social media.

Keywords:

• information accessibility
• information credibility
• misinformation
• research publication
• social media

Acknowledgments

This is one of the four position papers on social media discussion organized by Dr. Ingrid Hsieh-Yee, Professor of Library and Information Science, Catholic University of America, in her graduate class of LSC 522: Digital Content Creation and Management, Spring 2021.