Can We Become Our Own Journalists?

Canada has always been considered a democracy, citizens are able to vote and engage on who they think should represent them as a country.  With the rise of the Internet and social media, we are now able to take the term democracy to a new level as every citizen has access to social media and a voice to be heard.  In the past freedom of speech has been more difficult to achieve or every citizen didn’t exercise this freedom to the full extent.  Now freedom of speech in Canada allows every citizen the ability to become a journalist on any topic they are interested in or feel passionate about.  This was brought up in the article by Hermida who discussed the fact that journalist rely heavily on online tools, and since they are accessible to the public as well, more citizens have the ability to report on anything. For example just recently in this class we learned how to use Storify, and although I wasn’t aware of its existence before taking this class, I can see the benefits it possesses as you can research information from various social media sites and Internet stories to create a journalistic piece on any issue that is a topic of discussion.

I can really see the benefits that websites like Storify can have on social awareness and activism.  By putting websites together to connect to the main issue, information is easily accessible to anyone who searches that topic and wishes to be involved.  If that person then adds on to the issue by conducting their own research on the subject, the knowledge is expanded even further and a chain of events can occur.  If an issue is discussed enough online, the chances of it become aware in mainstream media is higher, and then the issue is brought to the eyes of a nation wide audience.  With this kind of chain of events, social activists are able to really connect with a large audience in a way that they could never do alone before.  We now have to voice to make mainstream media listen, and judge for ourselves what we want to see on television.  Although this chain of events doesn’t happen in every case, even having the issue circulating through the Internet is enough to make people think twice.  What was really noticed in the article from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, was the fact that television, which is the majority of people's go to news source, is lacking in reliability.  Now that we have the ability to discuss ideas in an open environment, we are relying on each other to get the facts straight.

I have to say that through this course my eyes have really been opened to the world of social media and the outcomes that can come from using it as more than a way to communicate with friends.  I still have my doubts about getting into twitter to get my points across, but I have to say that I really enjoy this blog.  I feel as though I am part of something bigger than my own life when I’m writing in it and though I don’t think anyone is listening other than in my class, if I continue writing past this course on things that really inspire me or issues I’m passionate about, I will be able to make a difference to somebody.  I also hope to use it to document my life through my travels, things that I’ve learned about different cultures and myself in hopes of connecting with someone who has had the same fears and doubts as me.