Importance of Citizen Media

Communication technology and social media has the capability to transmit information in digital form at a global and rapid pace. This has become a global commodity due to the increase of alternative mediums to choose from, and the influence technological devices have within our daily lives. In todays society, members of society are able to partake in affordances without many limitations resulting in the world’s interconnectedness being at and all time high. With many technologies available, the rise of citizen media has become prominent in society.  This is due to the inability of news channels to be everywhere at every time, capturing live footage of a potential news story… it’s just not realistic. However, citizens are everywhere and now being accompanied with some sort of technological device, idea of citizen media arises in attempts for full coverage. Citizen media allows everyday individuals to join virtual conversations regarding matters of individual importance. Affordances such as Facebook, Blogging and twitter have developed an opportunity for the public to express opinions, thoughts and beliefs with others without judgement. The rise of the online community has aided the use of citizen media due to the accessibility and participation seen by members of society. Citizen media is beneficial for societies because they refer to the ways in which audience members can actively participate in the media using the different resources accessible to them. Citizens are able to easily whip out their phone and snap a picture or send out a tweet regarding an altercation they just encountered, and thus their contribution to the matter.

Citizen media is referred to as a concept and a practice due to the ability and flow of free speech within societies. Citizen media comes in many alternative forms and individuals can participate in a plethora of ways such as: blog posts, citizen journalism, social media (participating in hashtags etc.).

Citizen media contains a structure that is either open or closed. 

The article Mic Check! Media Cultures and the Occupy Movement by Sasha Costanza-Chock touched briefly on the concept of open vs closed social movement cultures.

·             It was described along an axis with a top town (vertical) message control on one hand and on the other hand, participatory (horizontal) media making.

·             Practices that promote open and transparent communication include public live notes during General Assembly, live streaming and making notes of communications. Occupy was not a leaderless but more so a leader-full movement

·             the closed system represents the old way of doing things: broadcasting from a single control point to a passive mass audience and allowing for virtually no feedback or participation. Or when there is a feedback channel, it's narrow and tightly controlled

Citizen media allows for diversity and alternative perspectives in regards to news stories. Often news channels frame stories in specific ways that may positively reflect the government and their ideologies while demeaning the challenging side. Withholding all forms of the truth from the public can influence citizen’s ideologies and thus creating a bias against cultural, social or political groups that challenge the government and their ideologies imposed on societies. Citizen media diversifies news in the sense that it allows for raw footage/reports and encourages people of society to make decisions regarding the matter on their own terms rather than being suggested to support a specific claim.  

Have you ever participated in citizen media in ways that offer alternative perspectives (that deviate from the suggested norm) for members of society? How much were you willing to risk in attempt of revealing the truths?