Discuss citizen
journalism. Also discuss how online media have been vital in the development of
citizen journalism.
The concept of citizen journalism is based upon public playing active
role in the process of gathering and distributing information, reporting,
airing, discussing and sharing contents, information and news happening around
them or something which they experience or see. despite not having professional
training as journalists. Thus, it’s the possibility to capture news contents
when professional journalists and media houses don’t have any access to, as the
possibility to spread and discuss topics ignored by mainstream press. Citizen
journalism enforces 'every citizen is a reporter' ideology in its practice.
Today everyone can create their own platform where they can share their
ideas and reciprocate simultaneously instead of be passive in front of opinions
of a selected few as it’s common at most media houses. They no longer have to
face one way channel of communication because due to the advancement of
internet technology, two way channel of communication has been open embraced by
the people. Similarly, the concept of citizen journalism has emerged due to the
ability to create digital audio and video with ease and simplicity of
distributing text, photos, audio and video over the internet.
To sumup, citizen journalism is viewed as a way to reconnect with readers
and viewers because this perspective has given an opportunity to talk back, air
their opinions and contribute new information.
Online media have been vital in the development of citizen journalism
because online media have given people the chance to reach to the wide
audiences and made them easy to get access of inexpensive printing, to create
digital audio and video and at the same time, to distribute text, photo, audio
and video over internet.
With the availability of social networking sites such as YouTube,
Facebook, Twitter and other social bookmarking sites, users have found endless
number of possibilities to express his or her ideas without any barriers. For
instance, it is said that national wide revolution in Egypt was possible due to
the initiative of the bloggers.
Online channels also make possible to edit, mix and recreate the contents
to be shared again, that generates versions of a certain fact in the own user’s
language. Thus, the other main feature of citizen journalism is that it's
usually found online. In fact, the emergence of the Internet - with blogs,
podcasts, streaming video and other Web-related innovations - is what has made
citizen journalism possible.
Similarly, with the help of online media, control of the publishing
process from brands and companies has shifted to the users themselves on online
environment. With advancement of online media, citizen journalism can be done
in several ways, as the examples below:
• Commenting on sites, blogs and social media
channels
• Sharing pictures and videos on issues you
observe
• Sharing views and opinions on sites and social
media channels about global and regional issues
• Writing to news sites promoting citizen
journalism.
In conclusion, citizen journalism is when private individuals do
essentially what professional reporters do - report information. That
information can take many forms, from a podcast editorial to a report about a
city council meeting on a blog. It can include text, pictures, audio and video.
With wide platforms made availiable by online media, citizen journalism has
become possible. Thus, online media has democratized nature which
has made possible the emergence of citizen journalism.
How does online redefine
the notion of mass communication? Discuss with suitable examples?
Accordind to DeFleur and Dennis, Mass Communication is a process in which
professional communicators use media to disseminate messages widely, rapidly
and continuously to arouse intended meaning in large and diverse audiences in
attempts to influence them in a variety of ways. Tradition media such as print
and broadcast celebrate the notion of one way channel of communication i.e.
journalists distribute information to public and public on the other hand
solely depend upon media personalities to know about events happening around
them. However, with the emergence of online media, the concept of mass
communication has got new dimension.
With the existence of different social networking sites such as facebook,
twitter, blogs, etc, it's not necessary that the information has been
disseminated by the professional communicators. At the same time, the platform
such as ‘what’s on your mind?’ in facebook has given peoples an opportunity to
share any form of information which may not any impact on people.
Despite the fact that traditional media has uplifted the concept of mass
communication, there is very less opportunity for audiences to
respond back. However, in the context of online media, there is a thin line
between writer and readers. Every second, readers can give feedbacks to the
writer as a result, new idea can come from among readers' perspective.
Likewise, newspaper, radio and television which are traditional media may
have territorial constraint and may have local audiences. However, in online
media, everyone can come from anywhere in the world, not just from a local
audience.
To sum up, online media has given new platform to people where they can
be publisher because of availability of different technologies it has
incorporated in itself. Thus, the concept of mass communication has got new
horizon due to the advancement of online media.
Write short note on Mark
Zuckerberg.
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of facebook which he started in
his college. Zuckerberg is responsible for setting the overall direction and
product strategy for Facebook. He leads the design of Facebook’s service and
development of its core technology and infrastructure. Zuckerberg attended
Harvard University and studied computer science before founding Facebook.
While at Harvard, Zuckerberg created Facemash, a website that compared
students’ dorm photos side-by-side. Harvard administration was not amused, and
Zuckerberg faced subsequent disciplinary action. Less than three months later,
he launched Facebook.Zuckerberg won the 2007 Crunchie Award for ‘Best Startup
CEO.’ He was the Time Magazine 2010 Person of the Year.
Discuss functions and
dysfuctions of Web 2.0 and social media with suitable example.
Web 2.0 is a concept that takes the network as a platform for information
sharing, user centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web
2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social
media dialogue as creators of user generated content in a virtual community.
Web 2.0 is all about collaboration and sharing, the very forces that are
driving citizen journalism.
The functions of Web 2.0 are information sharing, interoperability,
user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web.
1. It allows people to manipulate data, not just
retrieve data.
2. Creates connections between people: It
creates connections between people, between sites, between the Web and mobile
worlds, between buyers and sellers. Web 2.0 includes all of them. At its heart,
the new Web is about moving from a one-to-many publishing model to a
many-to-many one
3. It allows people to be a publishers
Although Web 2.0 technologies and
concepts have been integrated into a wide variety of websites, there are
certain categories that exemplify their use. These include:
· Blogs (Web
logs)
Although blogs are typically written by
a limited set of individuals, many platforms include a commenting feature that
allows readers to record their thoughts and viewpoints. Blogs typically use RSS
syndication as an interchange format, as well as for pushing content to
readers, aggregators, and mashups.
· Photo sharing
sites
Websites designed for sharing
photographs are also integrating Web 2.0 features such as tagging, commenting,
and RSS. At the same time, the content being uploaded by their users is
creating unique collections of digital images, raising their profiles and
usefulness.
· Social
bookmarking sites
These sites provide common Web 2.0
services, including tagging, commenting/reviewing, and rating services.
However, some are also now leveraging that data to provide ranking and social
search functionality for their users.
· Wikis
These are websites which allow users to
add, edit, and delete content in an effort to channel the collective wisdom of
their users. Some have integrated RSS feeds for their content as well.
· Social networks
These are websites designed for
community interaction, either with a specific focus or for general use. Users
typically maintain profiles or pages for displaying personal information, which
can then be commented on or added to by other users.
Social media includes web-based and mobile based technologies which
are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among organizations,
communities, and individuals. Social media has been defined as a group of
Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological
foundations of web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange
of user-generated content. Social media is ubiquitously accessible, and
enabled by scalable communication techniques. Functions of Social media
are as follows:
Monitor
One of the most basic functions of
social media is to help businesses monitor their name, brand, and products as
they’re discussed in the online world. This is a crucial point that many
businesses overlook. There will always be conversations online and in real life
about people, places and things and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.
But a business can monitor and listen to those conversations and in some cases
join in on the conversation. This is particularly important when it comes to
negative comments about a company’s product or service.
Connect
One of the most valuable functions of
social media is the ability to connect with people. Social media, in any shape
or form, creates a public persona for a business that allows it to connect with
consumers. Facebook is a perfect example of how businesses can
connect with consumers. All it takes is one person to become a fan of the
company. Then that person is updated regularly on sales and regular goings on
in the business, but also on the people behind the business, what they’re
doing, what they’re supporting and what they’re thinking.
Interact
Once you’ve monitored
what people are saying and you’ve connected with them on some level, the next
step is to interact with them. This is the ultimate goal of social media
because its possibilities are limitless for your business. Once you start
interacting regularly with people,
you can learn more about them.
