Social media can move faster than even the online news cycle. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more have international users that make social media active at all times. Many breaking news stories now appear first on social media sites rather than news outlets. Citizen journalism has changed the dynamic in journalism’s news cycle thanks to social media usage and advanced technology in cell phone cameras.

One notable story that broke as a Twitter post reads as follows, “There’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy.” This tweet describes the plane crash in which pilot Chesley Sullenberger landed flight 1549 on New York’s Hudson River in 2009. The famed pilot is now recognized by his nickname, Sully, and a film of the same name memorializes his landing maneuver that saved 155 passengers. 

While citizen journalism can be useful to get stories to the public quickly, other times a story’s debut on social media can cause confusion that a journalist’s fact-checking could prevent.

The news about the Boston Marathon bombing came from Twitter when witnesses posted pictures of the scene. Twitter users that re-tweeted speculation about the bombings, the people responsible for the event and the number of people injured or killed sparked uncertainty and fear. 

Misidentified suspects and rumors of bombs planted around the city surfaced on Twitter at a faster pace than the official corrections as new information was available. In this case, the social media storm that resulted from the terrorist attack only heightened speculation and confusion. 

While a successful plane landing and a terrorist attack are drastically different stories, it is interesting to see how they played out on social media given the unique circumstances of each story. Investigators usually find out more information as time goes on, which is not always conducive to the fast-paced, viral world of social media.