With the idea of all these everyday people posting
news via the Internet we get to see the various different opinions from
different ethnicities, genders, religious groups etc. Legitimate journalists
have to provide very stern and respectful reports on the stories they feature,
which sometimes doesn’t always reflect the true essence of the story. Everyday
individuals are pretty much free to say whatever they want, therefore allowing
us to see different opinions, opposite to just concrete information from a
journalist.
I
do admit that there is some very unnecessary content on the Internet from
people posting and editing news stories. This is minimal compared to some of
the amazing content we get from others, who for whatever reason are not real
certified journalists. It is great for the world to see the talent that is out
there and the quality that of the work that these people can put out. News can
be spread lightening fast. For example, a neighbours daughter goes missing, the
neighbour posts on her blog a story and description of the girl, her blog
subscribers see this and soon after she is featured on the local news and radio
stations. Citizen journalism has helped find criminals, missing people, and
update locals and people around the world with the latest news in the moment.
Without the fast growing technology of today we would still be relying on the
evening news to hear everything that happened throughout the day. Now we are on
top of everything the second it happens, all with the help of everyday, ordinary
individuals.
You make a very good point about how social media has helped to find missing people. Its that kind of instantaneous information that has helped to improve the news and allow everyday citizens to become more involved with real world issues and events.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you used an interesting example of missing people but can't always believe what you see online it could be false .They might be using social media for their own interest.
ReplyDeleteI agree you do make a good point on how social media has helped to find missing people and catch criminals. However, what about the lack of boundaries of social media. What if a family does not want the name of a loved one who has died released, with anyone having the ability to publish what they want, the family's request to withhold their loved ones name is ignored.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I feel the lack of impartiality overshadows the speed of stories spread over social media, I do agree that it has proven very effective regarding criminals, missing persons etc. As with anything else, if you want to get a message out quick, social media and the internet are your best course of action. Not only is your message or the story delivered at a remarkable speed, it is also made viewable and shareable to numerous online communities.
ReplyDeleteI agree you make a great point about getting information from different groups of people, ethnic or religious, but I feel that being in an already diverse community we do get these opinions everyday and do not need to just get them from the internet.
ReplyDelete