Assignment

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.