Interpreting New Media - Essay Example

Interpreting new media By Introduction Citizen journalism concept is also known as participatory, public, street or democratic journalism that is often based on public citizens who plays an active role in the process of reporting, collecting, analyzing and disseminating information and news. Citizen journalism is a form of both user generated content and citizen media. New technology such as media sharing networks like Twitter and social networking has made it easier for people to access citizen journalism (Barnard, 2014). Citizens are more likely to report breaking news faster as compared to traditional media reporters. The paper will discuss the important contribution of Twitter to citizen journalism. The significant contribution of Twitter towards citizen journalism The significant contribution of Twitter towards citizen journalism is unquestionable. Platforms such as Twitter have become sources of information that can be regarded as ‘world changing’ and gaining legitimacy and respect in the provision of up-to-minute news. With increased wireless connectivity and rapid consumption of modern technology, mobile phones have become a means of data transfer systems and portable digital media production. The move has resulted to increase in some citizen journalists who are also eye witness reports. Citizen journalism on Twitter platforms is also challenging the practice and image of journalism in that the public is no longer solely depending on journalists to offer accurate reports. In the recent coverage of Hurricane Sandy in the United States of America, Live eye witness messages were instantly uploaded online sharing the results of the natural disasters from a subjective point of view. Even though these are valid representations of the individual news report, they lack structure, shape, and professional journalistic meaning. Twitter has played an important role in citizen journalism. Citizen journalism has gained much significance through its inclusion and incorporation in mass media report packages and has led to a restructuring and re-evaluation on how journalists network (Bullard, 2014). Modern technology has changed and transformed journalism as a profession. Digital and social media platform such as Twitter are currently serving as new platforms in the presentation of breaking news directly from the source. Twitter unlike other platforms of social media has continued to impact on journalism as a profession. Twitter is a main player, and the list of news stories that are relayed through Twitter before they are done on mainstream media has risen. Some other examples include news on Whitney Houston’s death that was relayed on Twitter over an hour before it was announced on mainstream media. The raid and death of Osama bin Laden were reported unwittingly through the Twitter platform by a local information technology consultant a day before it was announced by President Barack Obama to the world. Moreover, the live chases for the individuals guilty of the Boston Bombing in 2013 saw news channels depending heavily on updates of citizens that were staying in the area to report what was happening. This was captured through pictures, videos and majorly tweets (Barnard, 2014). The world of journalism has continued to change in the modern era of the internet. With the increase in internet connectivity, newsrooms are currently smaller than they used to be ten years ago. News and reports are no longer a daily product but a constant flow of information. The continued rise of Twitter has brought concerns within journalism profession. Concerns have been raised as to whether overwhelming tweets may put professional reporters out of business operation. Journalists are currently being faced with the challenge of adapting new ways and roles to add value to content and ensuring that social media is changing the world for the better (Bullard, 2014). With the growing utilization of Twitter to report news, the individual perception of real-time reports and news is changing. People are currently receiving news instantly and expect to be updated of developments as soon as they happen. The move is influencing the practice and direction of journalism. The presence of Twitter platforms has changes the manner in which citizen journalists operate and is considered a valuable tool was helping them to gather news, engage the audience and can act as another platform for content. It is, therefore, vital to note that Twitter and other social media platforms such as Facebook and you-tube are not replacing journalism. They are adding layer towards the existing sources of news. One key manner in which Twitter has impacted on citizen journalism is through helping professional journalists in crowdsourcing and newsgathering. Individuals can tweet updates as well as an occurrence of events. The approach has made it easier to collect more information on news opinions and stories that are targeting a particular matter. Additionally, Twitter has also enabled journalists to source eye witnesses faster, as people are keen to post or tweet about interesting things they have encountered in their daily activities (Barnard, 2014). This is a significant contribution towards citizen journalism as it makes it easier for citizens to share what they have observed about a certain event or issue. The presence of Twitter has resulted to professional journalists having to compete with average citizens for breaking news as social media platforms such as Twitter are increasingly being utilized as news’ source and a way in which news can be spread by the younger generation. However, the professional journalist has to evaluate and verify news claims on Twitter before they report on them. Conclusion It is indeed true that Twitter has made numerous contributions towards citizen journalism. The demand for instant news has continued to increase as a result of an increase in internet connectivity among the people. The desire for real-time updates and changing consumer perception of news has encouraged individuals to step into such a role in different situations with live tweets from the scene and to update the readers with vital information. Twitter has even developed a system that reflects the manner in which breaking news can be relayed instantly to a larger audience. Twitter alerts have made it possible for public citizen journalists to send out breaking news through text messages and push notifications (Bullard, 2014). Twitter has made it possible to move information instantly among a large audience. References Barnard, S. 2014. Tweet or be sacked: Twitter and the new elements of journalistic practice. Journalism. Bullard, S. 2014. Book Review: Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age, by Dhiraj Murthy. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 91(4), pp.861-862. Read More