COURSE; INTRODUCTION TO NEW MEDIA
LECTURER; MR. KODWO JONAS ANSON BOATENG
NAME
1. PWABERI DENIS WEDAM
2 .KUUPUOLO EVA
3 .AGBEMAVA MABEL
4. AZIZ FUSENA
5. STEPHEN Y.S.K SALIFU
DATE OF SUBMISSION; 23RD OCTOBER, 2013.
Introduction
Technology has modified and
transformed many aspects of human life including the media. The technological
transition from web 1.0 to web 2.0 has brought in its wake the invention of highly accessible internet platforms called social media where interested people link up, connect and share information
with one another anywhere, anytime using mobile communication network and devices.
The use of such platforms as twitter,
facebook,blogger, digg and delicious
make the transfer of texts, photos, audio, video and information in general
increasingly fluid among internet users.(socialmediadefined.com/what-is-social-media)
The increased level of interactivity
allows every member of the public to take part in the collection,
processing and dissemination of news information, thus making them citizen journalists. It makes the once
dormant audience play active roles in the manufacture of news information. Jay
Rosen defines citizen journalism as ‘when the people formerly known as the
audience employ their press tools they have in their possession to inform one another’
(Wikipedia).
Setting this innovation in the era
of the traditional media, also known as legacy media, which only consisted of
old traditional means of communication and expression that have existed since
before the advent of the new media of the internet industries, its effects are
obvious. It affects the traditional media houses as well as their production
because of manner in which citizen journalists use the social media to
disseminate information, interact freely, and give instantaneous feedback,
without one person controlling the entire activity. Having established a
premise with the overview of social media, citizen journalist/journalism and
traditional media, the document continues to take a critical look at how
twitter, facebook, blogger and other social media affect the activities of television,
newspaper, radio and other traditional media production and of course to
consider how the latter have positioned and are positioning itself .
Body
First and foremost, citizen journalists’
use of the social media has lessen the power the traditional media had to play their
gate keeping and agenda setting roles. The “autocratic” power that traditional
media houses had in choosing news worthy and salient issues, have been
“democratized” by citizen journalists who engage in journalistic practices. The
effect is that the traditional media does no longer have that sole power to
tell the public what is news, because the agenda is sometimes set by the
audiences per their contributions on the social platform. Likewise with the
salient issues because a great deal of the news information comes from the
public.
Again, by the use of the social media by
citizen journalists, there has emerged a new orientation about the timeliness
of news, so that the public does not consider news from the traditional media
as timely. Before a traditional media house sends a reporter to an incident
scene to cover a story and then pass through an editorial process before it is aired,
a citizen journalist by the use of the social media might have broken that same
story long before the reporter even got to the scene. For instance, I got to
know about the Achimota Melcom collapse on facebook before hearing on radio,
television and newspapers.
Also, citizens’s use of the social media
for journalistic purposes has also affected the public’s patronage for the
traditional media for various reasons;
i.Unlike
the social media where audience or the public can always archive for
information they have missed, information on the traditional media, except
newspapers is transient and fleeting; once you miss it, you can’t get it again.
ii.Whereas
citizen journalists use social media to give first hand information in its
virgin form, the traditional media gives second or third hand information that
is often edited.
iii.When
it comes to the issue of proximity, citizen journalists using the social media
are closer both geographically and culturally and they offer more insights into
the stories they cover than traditional media reporters who may not have any
relation with an issue to be reported. These are just a few of the numerous
reasons that account for the public perception of the traditional media as less
effective as compared to the new media of citizen journalism
iv) Again
citizen journalists use of social media segments the audience by offering alternative
dimensions. This is to say, diverse information on the social platform allows
the audience to choose topics or subjects of interests. For instance there are
blogs on fashions, entertainment, food and nutrition. The traditional media on
the other hand are restricted to their programme line up.
v) Inasmuch
as the traditional media is limited in reaching the audience, the social media
has a wide reach and gets to audiences worldwide.
Moreover, though positive, the use of
social media by citizen journalists also affects the quality of news produced
by traditional media by way of their contribution. A traditional media house
trying to be first in news may break a story without the necessary details to
back the story. Citizen journalists through the social media may contribute
pictures and videos to support that story.
Conclusion
The traditional media houses see these
activities of the citizen journalist as a threat to their course, hence the
strategies they are putting in place to meet the changing trend. The
traditional media too must behave like the hunter to be able to keep up the
pace.
Already the traditional media has recognized
the good works of citizen journalists in news production and they are
strategically incorporating the citizen journalist into their media houses. It
is now very common to find traditional media join the social media to allow the
public also contribute to their programmes.
There is also an introduction of
phone-in and texting in order to connect to the audience and share views,
comments and feedbacks.
The traditional media are
strategizing to meet the changing trends by joining the social media. This aids
in overcoming the issues of timeliness and fleeting information. Examples are myjoyonline.com, and citifmonline.com
Finally, they give out programme
outlines by categorizing activities of the day and allotting times they will be
broadcast for audiences to choose their preferences.
REFERENCES
Jay Rosen (14). "A
Most Useful Definition of Citizen Journalism". Press
Think. Retrieved 21 May 2012
Anderson, P. (Feb. 2007)What
is Web 2.0? Ideas, Technologies and Implications for Education (JISC Technology
& Standards Watch).
H. Kietzmann, Jan; Kristopher Hermkens
(2011). "Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building
blocks of social media". Business Horizons 54: 241–251.
Dan Gillmor, We
the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People (O’Reilly Media,
2004)
