There seems to be a dilemma in journalism and related fields. Not only is there a high number of layoffs for those in journalism and public relations jobs, the rate doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. At the same time, data suggests that these jobs aren’t disappearing — they’re just changing their title. 

Jobs labeled around “content” and “social media” are on the rise, which seem to be replacing the standard “reporter” job description. The change in journalism has created positions like social media managers, content writers and multimedia journalists.

Technology has developed into a world where social media is a daily facet of life. In response, the field of journalism has shifted. Today, social media sites like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook can drive journalism. This shows that social media is not only changing how journalists share stories, but that industry-wide changes are happening that involve public relations, communications and other fields. 

These changes might also reflect the shifting demands on journalists to do more than just report. In many newsrooms, journalists need to manage social media, newsroom analytics, understand website production and report, among other tasks. The trend for journalists to learn coding and other computer science based skills is arguably most present in data-centered journalists. The same can be said for the relatively recent jobs journalists have begun in social media. This can include jobs that interpret analytics of various social media platforms, content creation and management. 

These shifts in journalism towards social media shows that while the face of the industry has changed, the essential skills and knowledge it takes to succeed in the field are still the same.