For centuries people have merely been 'consumers', only able to buy what is offered with little alternatives. Suggestions fell on deaf ears as consumers were seen as powerless. However with the introduction of citizen journalism, consumers have transformed into 'prosumers'. People are able to write their own opinions, free of charge and with an absolute guarantee it will be published on a page albeit in cyberspace. This expansion of free and extensive publications whether it is news, opinions, reviews or articles, has meant that the fate of traditional media is that it will soon become merely a tradition. As discussed in previous posts physical information will not die such as newspapers, CDs and other outlets, yet they are doomed to become the new vinyl attracting only a small niche market.
The catalyst of this surge in citizen journalism is that it is free from editors and hence the thoughts of the writer are published unaltered. There is no gatekeeper, nor is there any filtering. This has meant that prosumers have gained a sense of freedom that of which previous generations could not experience. It is no longer 'All the news fit to print', instead it is all the news plus everything else uncensored. A great example is the blog http://www.abeerfortheshower.com/. Written independently it is a genuine good read that would never have seen the light of day if sent to the New York Times.
This prosumer revolution has not only created an excess in information, it has become some people's source of income. It would be hard to write a blog about citizen journalism and not mention the website YouTube (i assume you've heard of it). YouTube is one of the most popular viewed sites everyday and is mostly filled with prosumer material. Probably the greatest prosumer on YouTube and is ironically the most subscribed person in the world, is Ray William Johnson. I say greatest because of the fact that he has become so popular by talking about other people's viral videos. Hence he is a prosumer of prosumer information (a double prosumer?). This new wave of free, uncensored information has meant that traditional controlled media is losing its effect on people and in the future we will see a vast decline in traditional media.
Unfortunately I also see an end for traditional media. Well maybe not an end, but a makeover perhaps. Traditional media needs to change and break free of its "traditional" roles in order to compete with these new technologies that allow citizen journalism to take precedence. Hopefully if traditional media listens to its audience they will hear what they want and they will change with the changing technology and needs of the people.
ReplyDeleteComparing with professional journalism, citizen journalism is more flexible in reporting news. But, audience turn to active creators rather than passive receivers in new media, Youtube is a case in point. Apparently, traditional media is not the unique way where we are able to gain information; new media offers a platform allowed audience shape and response by themselves. In the other words, audience are granted more power in controlling flows of information. As you said, traditional controlled media is losing its effect on people. The fact is new media challenge traditional media in information controlling and distribution within society.
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