Citizen journalism is an emerging form of media that is expanding its influence on society. Although newspapers, news channels, and other traditional forms of media are very important to society, citizen journalism brings to the table things that traditional media can't.
Citizen journalism has both advantages and disadvantages. This form of journalism allows authenticity in its truest form. Years ago, even if a video was taken by a bystander who witnessed any kind of event, they could not have easily shared that with others. They could have merely shared that video with local peers and maybe sent the video in physical form. However, due to the rise of social media and social networks, it is so easy to share ANY piece of information, whether it be a picture, video, or audio clip. Furthermore, because the journalist was actually there, they share the information with sincerity and passion. Moreover, many of these journalists usually focus on relevant and significant issues.
Despite the fact that citizen journalism is both advantageous and growing in influence, it does not come without its drawbacks (like almost anything else). One of the biggest issues is that unlike large media giants (news channels and news papers), the bias of the journalism can be easily swayed. Even if News Channel X is biased on a certain topic, it is very apparent and it is a unified motion to take that stance. However, when it comes to citizen journalists, their opinion can be fueled strongly by their own reservations as well as those of others.
Personally, I do not think traditional media sources such as news papers and live news casts are on their way out anytime soon. Even though social media is getting easier and easier to share and access, due to the digital divide and growing information gap, there are always going to be people who either don't know how to access the emerging media sources or simply don't have the ability to.
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