The days of waiting for the newspaper to arrive or for the evening news broadcast is over.
Citizen journalism is rapidly changing the way we consume news. With the emergence of social media, anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can become a journalist. From capturing breaking news on video to reporting incidents in their neighbourhood, people are taking the power of reporting into their own hands.
Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube provide the perfect platform for citizen journalists to disseminate information on the go. They offer real-time access to news which has never been seen before.
For instance, just a few years back during the Arab Spring, social media played a major role in reporting events as they unfolded. People on the ground shared photos, videos, and status updates in real-time. They managed to break down censorship barriers, allowing the world to see the events from their perspective.
Fast forward to the present day, and we now have an army of citizen journalists who are responsible for breaking news stories globally. During the recent Black Lives Matter protests, for example, social media was alive with footage and photos that could have only been captured by citizen journalists. They were on the ground, recording and reporting the news in real-time.
The rise of citizen journalism has caused a paradigm shift in traditional journalism. The public now expects to see news as it is happening, rather than reading about it the next day. It, therefore, puts pressure on traditional news organizations to keep up with the times.
However, not everyone is happy with the rise of citizen journalism. Critics argue that not all citizen journalists abide by journalistic ethics and that news outlets still have an important role on deciding which stories should be covered.
Regardless of the criticisms, the rise of citizen journalism is here to stay. It has democratised the reporting process, bringing events and stories to the forefront which have been overlooked by traditional media in the past.
Therefore, it is safe to say that social media has changed the landscape of reporting forever.