So today I attended the lecture by Steve Coll, which discussed journalism in the digital age. I found that it related to topics we had already discussed such as citizen journalism (with the example of the search for the Boston Bomber on Reddit), crowd sourcing (which is the idea that the sum is better than one piece), and the coexistence of old and new technologies.
Coll presented the idea that although we have faced new technologies in the past, the Internet is truly different. This made me wonder, does the Internet revolutionize media by it allowing citizen journalism, "many to many" broadcasting and volatility?
Initially, I would be inclined to say yes. There is more things that we are aware of because of user participation in online spaces. However, there are governments who sensor information, there is high chance of opinionated or incorrect information and there were ways to have a "many to many" broadcasting in old media. So although I would generally agree that the Internet is a format that allows a greater range of reporting types, I feel as if all of these ideas have been done before. There were muckrakers keeping industries in check in the 1900s, letters to the editor, which are against the "one to many" view, and probably some small scale citizen journalism. I think the Internet has amplified the opportunities for citizen involvement, not created it.
Agree? Disagree? Make this a "many to many" broadcasting and share your opinion below!
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