Citizen Journalism Is Now The Leader in News Sourcing

Gone are the days when reporters needed to be on scene to get moment-to-moment updates of the news. We now depend, rely and take interest in the role of the citizen using social media to keep up to date with what is going on with our community, city and world.

Nowadays we can get a sneak peek into war, politics, current affairs and social consciousness issues all with the use of a hashtag. We have a glimpse into civilians sharing content from a place of safety or danger, insecurity or uncertainty. All that is needed to plug into society is a Smartphone and access to internet. With those two assets, individuals are given the platforms to share, initiate dialogue and engage with what is happening in their local areas.

As the wave has transferred news details to online portals, so too has the way people decipher and consume the news. We no longer need to attend an event in order to know what happened. Social media has given us the opportunity to watch our live feed from Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. We are being welcomed in to live presentations, art installations, community outreach- all at the touch of a button, and all that is expected of us is to scroll down and interact with the content.

Citizen journalism is open for all to occupy. Citizens often report news before the news publications do- because they are on the ground and witnessing it more quickly than those stuck behind a computer. We have become dependent on people breaking the news, so we can delve deeper into it and share the updates up as fast as they are coming in.

The majority of people catching up of content they have missed out on refer to their news feed and click on the trending hashtag to ensure they are connected to what the ‘other’ is seeing and experiencing. We do this because we are curious. We do this because we need to know. And we engage with it by sharing and sparking off conversations in a virtual space.

Journalists have realized they can’t be everywhere at the same time and have embraced the complimentary agenda of citizen journalism. Without it, they would be stuck behind in the past. With this notion, we not only need to appreciate the content we see on a daily basis, but also encourage citizens to participate. With the assistance of the community, we can see into moments we would usually miss out on.

How do you play a part in being a citizen journalist?