Citizen Journalism

What is the impact of Citizen Journalism on society?  Cell phones, via social media and video recording, have created a new generation of “Citizen Journalists.” Rather than formal news agencies operating through traditional mediums like television and print, eg. the evening news, the New York Times, news stories are now commonly disseminated by average citizens who use their mobile devices to capture and share what it is happening at the scene of a story.  For this topic, you need to consider one area of the impact of mobile devices on society--the impact of citizen journalism.  How has this new form of “Digital Journalism” impacted the way humans consume and react to the news? What are its advantages and disadvantages? Has it affected human behavior in anyway? Does the omnipresent threat of having one’s words or actions easily documented hold society to a higher standard, eg. reduce crime, uphold political transparency?

Helpful Links:

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-mobile-phones-are-changing-journalism-practice-21st-century

http://hightechgalore.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-rise-and-impact-of-citizen.html

https://ijnet.org/en/blog/mobile-journalism-why-shooting-your-cell-phone-isnt-enough

http://www.wired.com/2014/08/smart-phone-journalism/

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/sipa/nelson/newmediadev/Citizen%20journalism.html

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/08/07/amateur-hour-4

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/29/arab-spring-captured-on-cameraphones