Citizen journalism according to Wikipedia, is the “concept of members of the public playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information.” This kind of journalism has become very powerful within the past couple of years. The birth of blogging is what I believe to have begun citizen and participatory journalism. Before blogging the audience was to discuss their feelings towards a subject to their friends but now that the audience has a platform that is capable of having one’s voice proclaimed all over the internet.
In the article “What is Participatory Journalism,” a question is asked. Is blogging journalism? In my opinion, no. I believe one should study journalism and know the in’s in outs before they call themselves a “journalist.” I don’t call myself a photographer even though I have taken three years of photography classes and have had a lot of experience with taking photos. However, I am not so savvy with photography that I will say, “HEY! I’M A PHOTOGRAPHER!” Just because you have the right to speak your mind and journal your thoughts does not mean that you are a journalist.
Blogging has now moved into a new era, vlogging. Not only can you type your opinions, but you can record your face saying them. This is much more of an intimate approach and yet much more entertaining. One is able to visualize the author and know their style instantly. Vlogging allows the author to connect with their followers more effectively. For instance, I have a friend who works for UT Tyler. He literally vlogs and blogs for his job. This is a technique used to make Tyler and the school seem appealing to a future student. My friend, Ely, vlogs about daily life and also blogs about the same things. He has more followers for his vlogs rather than for his blogs. I believe this is something humans just prefer is being able to see the person rather than just read because, come one, reading is just WAY TOO BORING. Well, to me it isn’t.
I can’t fathom what will be next in citizen and participatory journalism, but I have a feeling it is going to something ridiculous like a hologram.
{A. Rains} 