While news is still important and widespread, people reporting the news are no longer professionals. Anyone in the world can share their own voice, and report their own events. Clay Shirky calls this event "Mass Amateurization" in his book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. He states that amateurs now control "the media" and it threatens the old-fashion-news industry. In my opinion, this is a very good thing. Now people can seek out the opinion and events they choose. As a people we are no longer controlled, but asked to think for ourselves. By creating a more transparent world, we understand each-other better and make things right. We are now allowed to make our own conclusions and have the power to act on our decisions.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Released from the Shackles: Media's voice
It was once stated that media controlled the people. The professionals of media would find news to report on. They would report on events they decided, and support the side they believed in. The only way society was able to hear the news, was through this medium, and as such, the media could control the news. With controlled news comes controlled society. It was hard for others to learn anything about the news outside what the media said. Those days are over.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm loving the direction that we're headed towards. We not only get first hand accounts but people can also share in their triumphs.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that we're able to connect with more and more people in more and easier ways is fantastic. The problem is that people are often too quick to jump to conclusions about stories they might read online. Shirky's telling of the tale of the stolen sidekick is an example of positive connections in my mind, but there are other examples out there where perpetrators of crimes have been misidentified by people online, and the wrong person has ended up being harassed and threatened.
ReplyDelete