‘But what’s happening today – the mass ability to communicate with each other, without having to go through a traditional intermediary – is truly transformative’ (Alan Rusbridger, Editor of The Guardian Newspaper).
The Internet is becoming increasingly ubiquitous since its conception in the early 1960s. It has removed social and geographic boundaries by allowing users to access content from a diverse range of platforms that have significantly been developed by mass media in the twenty-first century.[1] No longer does distance, time or space affect how users communicate. Instead, the Internet has promoted the emergence of new circles of communication, bound together by their common interest that increasingly attracts a global flow of information. Because of this, the combination of computers and networks has begun to fundamentally change the dissemination of news and its consumption. News corporations are relocating to respond to a greater and diverse readership, and ordinary citizens are usurping the role of traditional professional journalists as ‘citizen journalists’, which is synonymous with democracy, participation and public.[2]
Correspondingly individuals in Western countries are free to discuss, debate and interact with each other without being censored or suppressed by a third party. Amidst all this change, this essay will explore the extent to which technology has affected social life in the field of journalism, and the impact of the Internet on communication. In conjunction this essay will also comment on why publishing will continue to exist, regardless of which platform it is carried out, and extensively transforms social life (how information is processed and delivered), as there are greater opportunities for communication than previously.
Traditionally, news corporations are accustomed to being the gatekeepers of information. But with the emergence of the Internet, information has become commoditised and democratised by the ordinary citizen.[3] The arrival of portable Wi-Fi, Apple iPads and iPhones, accompanied by Android tablets and mobiles, have influenced individuals to access content within the grasp of their pockets. Scholars Allan and Thorsen argue due to these highly portable, low-cost, discreet, digitalised communication technologies being easily plugged and uploaded to the web, they have become an integral part of everyday life and the medium for the conduct of social relations (Allan 2009, p. 11).[4]
With the invention of new technological tools, individuals are blogging, sharing photos, uploading videos and podcasting to tell their firsthand accounts of breaking news. News corporations are taking advantage of these platforms by signing up to any form of social media to expand their readership. Australia’s version of 60 minutes has 30,328 followers on Twitter and their own hashtag titled ‘extraminutes’ that is active before and after the show’s screening. Each ‘tweet’ contains a link that directs the user to either their website, an image or a video. Ordinary work hours are transformed into a 24-hour news cycle. Despite this, the reason why major news corporations are relocating online is due to the audience’s demand for accessible, immediate and condensed information. Since Twitter has a 140 character limit, news corporations are forced to focus on the crux of a news story, the breadth of the details, though short, still inform their audience whether or not they are at the scene.
Caption: The above two images is a screenshot of 60 Minutes Australia Twitter profile and hashtag #extraminutes. These photos illustrate the amount of followers who actively use Twitter to access news and to further their opinion on particular issues. The specially designed hashtag is referred to after the 60 Minute program airs on TV. This news corporation frequently encourages its audience to share content such as links, images and videos that may be of some relevance to the news story. Photo by: Fiona Lu.
In 2008 there was a hostage crisis in Mumbai. Citizen journalists were using microblogging service Twitter feeds to tweet eyewitnesses accounts during the disaster. CNN reporter Stephanie Busair emphasised “it was the day social media signaled itself as news-gathering force to be reckoned with.”[5] Similarly the Sandy Hook shooting attracted thousands of views around the world. Celebrities and political figures were tweeting their condolences and shared information with the public (their followers). Those with millions of followers and influence were furthering the news stories via hashtags, links and images.
As demonstrated by these two events, social media has allowed the public to engage with content as it is delivered in real time. The content transcends time and space. It is publicised so it is readily available to everyone. There are no limitations or restrictions that prevent people from accessing information. These citizen journalists are enlarging the civic space by creating a marketplace of ideas where anyone can put any issue on the agenda, so long as they comply with basic rules concerned with social etiquette. Thus professional journalists are finding difficulty attracting the public’s attention within this densely packed public space.
As new and old media are linked in a global network, scholars argue the individual journalist is reduced in an ever widening ‘communication machine.’
[6] A journalist’s identity may not be recognised in an ocean of ideas, but their voice is not absent. They still have the freedom to express their perspective without being shunned down. There are no intermediaries preventing citizen journalists, professional journalists or the public from inhabiting or mediating this space. Journalism is increasingly driven by the exigencies of on-demand publishing and what’s more consumer participation in the news journalistic process through the possibilities of web 2.0.
[7]
The growth of new media channels has led many to question whether social online media might be supplanting conventional journalistic channels, such as newspapers and television, for information. This growth is previewed in the current media landscape that is experiencing a gradual but inexorable shift from print to audiovisual.
[8]
In a study conducted by the University of Wollongong, reading news online is now becoming a habit for many people.
[9] Currently 40% say they get most of their news about national and international affairs from the Internet.
[10] The online ad business is flourishing compared to newspaper ad revenue with companies set to expand to $34.4 billion in 2014.
[11] In Australia, the Central Intelligence Agency estimated 70% of Australians are Internet users, and according to the Nielsen Net Ratings report, 10 million of them are active users.
[12] On Internet World Stats 13,597,380 million Facebook users were recorded on the 31st of March 2012 to have created a Facebook account.
[13]
The successfulness of how their content engages with the audience is measured by the authenticity of the news story. Blogs maintained by citizen journalists remove the perception journalists are impersonal and detached observers, whose writings are generally in favour of a political pursuit or idea. These ‘citizen journalists’ uphold a similar duty as professional journalists in the proliferation of news. The journalistic values of truth, accuracy, impartiality and diversity of opinion are still strengthened online, however what distinguishes professional from citizen journalists are the intermediaries that intervene before publishing.
Before publishing an article, a news editor would usually assess whether it the story is newsworthy, and correct any grammatical or punctuation errors. News editors would ensure the piece is free of bias and monitor the methods used by journalist to obtain information was ethical and legal. The very act of publishing itself demonstrated a new capacity to locate textual errors with precision and to transmit this information simultaneously to scattered readers.[14]
Likewise traditional media entities had to wait for confirmation before they made official reports. In October 2011 a small aircraft experienced some difficulty at the George Charles airport in St Lucia and had to land in an emergency situation. Citizen journalists immediately assumed the incident was a “plane crash” as they posted on social networking sites. The traditional media organisations did not issue that statement, and if they did this would affect their reputation and credibility. The ability of the Internet to immediately post content can be disadvantageous. Without intermediaries, information is not accounted for.
Moreover with the rise of the Internet, online news is overtaking newspapers as news outlets. The Internet has changed how information is presented and archived. Parikka stated archives attempt to offer new kinds of storage space where the audience become active agents in participating in media events.[15] Users are utilising the Internet not only to benefit their private social lives but to understand public life as well.
Eisenstein contended private life as well as public affairs underwent transformation as new mediums encouraged a sharper divide between these two zones.
[16] The private merges with the public as multimedia allows users to ask questions to reporters and editors about the choices they made while researching and writing a story, along with feedback or input within their homes. This encouraged citizen journalists to incorporate not only emotional depth and first-hand experience of an event/crisis,
[17] unlike the distancing approach of mainstream media; they also invite their target audience to participate in domestic dramas rather than global ones.
[18] Badelt states “today’s audience want to be a part of the media, rather than passive receivers. Not only do they want to comment on the news, they want to be a part of creating it.”
[19]
In July 2005 on the day of the London bombings, the BBC News’ website used images sent by citizens who were affected by the attacks. Within six hours the BBC received more than 1,000 photographs, 20 pieces of amateur video, 4,000 text messages and 20,00 e-mails.[20] The public were participating in the BBC’s coverage than never before. As shown during this crisis, the public offered new information and thus news coverage becomes a partnership between the source and receiver. This two-way capacity represents a significant departure from traditional one-way flow of information from papers to users, and greatly improves the channels of feedback.[21] A commentator said traditional journalism is the outside looking in, whereas citizen journalism is the inside looking out.[22] In order to get the complete story, having two perspectives are essential to producing a balanced article.
With the rise of the Internet, some predict the demise of mainstream media at the hands of citizen journalism. This is untrue, as both views continue to compete to win favour from the public. An example is Palestinian journalist blogger Heba Zayyan. Across the Arab World, most local newspapers and broadcast news programs are either directly or indirectly state controlled, and thus often subject to strict censorship.[23] Zayyan’s purpose was to reach the ‘Other’ and address Western stereotypes that all Palestinians are ‘terrorists.’ Like other citizen journalists, she was driven by a common goal, that is, to correct any wrongs that affect the interests of the audience. Zayyan endeavored to raise international awareness that Palestinians do not just exist as images in the news. Instead, she pursued to tell a truth different from mainstream media. Below every blog entry, Zayyan had a comment box for her audience to contribute their own views on issues she discussed in real time.
According to professional journalism, confirmation and re-confirmation of information is the hallmark of this profession. Zayyan did not delete comments, nor impose a filter that required her approval. Unlike professional journalism where intermediaries would validate the information and statistics she was to post, Zayyan possessed multiple roles the modern journalist serves, which the Internet supported. The very core of journalism focuses on reporting truthfully and informing the public of any information concerning their welfare. Zayyan positioned herself as a human ‘filter,’ where she assumed responsibility for providing important news or content that suited the needs of her audience.[24]
In an age where technology has dominated everyday life along with the Internet vastly shaping interaction, anyone can equip themselves with these tools to reach a specific audience and express their opinion in any publishable form available to them. There are forums such as RVANews Network and Watchdog International, and avenues for blogging such as Blogger and Wordpress that can be linked to a separate domain to store news written by the ‘average Joe.’ By allowing and expanding communication between journalists and their audience, “the internet has created a new sphere where everyone can be a journalist”.[25]
Caption: The above is an example of a citizen journalist forum. This website was founded on the ‘third man’ which is the traditional role of a reporter who writes from the neutral perspective of a third person. The Third Man strives to be fair and unbiased in his observations and reports. The Third Report states it is seeking “citizens like you to become Third Men and Women.” Photo by: Fiona Lu.
In conclusion, society has undoubtedly witnessed the transformation of publishing in social life and the role of traditional intermediaries in journalism that govern this public domain. The speed at which news and information circulate online is steadily increasing, thus publishing and particularly the media are considerably affected. The hierarchical barriers, which consist of authoritative intermediaries such as editors and publishers, that once governed journalism are dismantled and no longer have a prominent role in disseminating information. Mainstream media are no longer the primary source of news. Today, user-generated content are classified as news and is relied upon by thousands of Internet users. It has become growing phenomenon as original reporting of local events contributed by ordinary citizens continues to increase.
However, despite the differences between traditional and citizen journalists, they are still effectively working together as “watchdogs” to hold the government and corporations accountable. Overall, both roles are constantly transforming in a context where technology has enabled the news to be distributed in unconventional ways, and has expanded communication across a diverse range of demographics, cultures and countries.
[2] Freebase 2013, Mashable, San Francisco, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://mashable.com/category/citizen-journalism/>.
[3] Sambrook, R 2005, ‘Citizen Journalism and the BBC’, Neiman Reports, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=100542>.
[4] Allan, S and Thorsen E 2009, ‘Citizen Journalism (Global Crises and the Media), Peter Lang Publishing.
[5] Busari, S 2008, ‘Tweeting the terror: how social media reacted to Mumbai’, CNN Asia, 27 November, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/27/mumbai.twitter/>.
[6] McQuail, D, Goulding, P and Bens de E 2005, “Communication theory and research’: Beyond Journalism: A profession between information society and civil society’, Sage Research Methods, p. 7, accessed 10 June 2013 from Sage Research Methods, Sage, IBSN: 9780857024374.
[10] PewResearch for the People & the Press 2008, PewResearch Center, Washington, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://www.people-press.org/2008/12/23/internet-overtakes-newspapers-as-news-outlet/>.
[11] NewsCore 2010, ‘Internet overtakes newspapers for ad revenue’, The Australian, 16 June, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/internet-overtakes-newspapers-for-ad-revenue/story-e6frgakx-1225880141309>.
[13] Internet World Stats 2013, Miniwatts Marketing Group, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm>.
[14] Eisenstein, E 1979, ‘Defining the initial shift: some features of print culture’, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, vol. 1, p. 80.
[15] Parikka, J 2013, ‘Archival Media Theory: An Introduction to Wolfgang Ernst’s Media Archaeology’, Digital Memory and the Archive, p. 15.
[19] Burkholder, C 2009, Center for Journalism Ethics School of Journalism & Mass Communication University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, accessed 10 June 2013, <http://www.journalismethics.info/citizen_journalism/blogging.htm>.
[24] Howard Owens 2008, Wordpress, United States, accessed 10 June 2013, < http://howardowens.com/2008/01/26/six-roles-or-job-duties-modern-journalism/>.
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