Back to the Future of Journalism

If you’re just joining us, welcome to the age of citizen journalism. Never mind a press pass, you’ll get by with some good ideas and Internet access. This time, the revolution will not only be televised, it’ll be streamed, blogged, podcast and debated on countless message boards. Pardon the obvious contradiction, but the future of journalism is now. Of course, this begs the question: what’s next?

Media is becoming increasingly and in some cases reluctantly more interactive. With interested citizens doing more than just taking an active role in democracy, the face of information technology is evolving to suit those with a passion for reflecting on their surroundings. The media moguls are spinning in their leather chairs, dizzying themselves in a brain-search for answers on how to turn these revelations into profits.

The next step in the evolution of media is an easy one. At present, there are thousands of sites dedicated to blogging, video hosting and sharing information from an infinitely wide range of topics. What is lacking is a way to unite these different facets of information technology into a neat package, capable of attracting a consistently large Internet audience.

The solution involves applying an already existing concept. In this case it’s Internet social networks. Sites such as Myspace and FaceBook have shown a ravenous propensity for attracting hordes on the Internet. According to my Myspace account, there are over 137 million people in my extended network. These social networks allow people to share anything from original music, to art, to banter. Why not apply the same technology to news? A “news social network” would provide millions of citizen journalists with a much larger audience of readers and viewers, most of whom would undoubtedly be contributors, as well.

Members would build individual profiles, connected through the network, in which they can share their own columns, videos and reports. They would have a user-friendly means by which to navigate through the profiles of the journalists they are most interested in and build their own network-within-a-network.

Stories could be viewed via streaming video or blogs, each with its own message board for viewer / reader response and discussion. People are already taking the initiative to share their stories on the Internet. Websites like Digg.com and PJNet.com are fledgling attempts at social networks dedicated to serious news. These are not nearly developed enough, however. With computer processors becoming faster and faster, everyone will soon have the ability to stream live conferences from their own homes. Viewers could text messege questions and get live responses.

Everyone with online access now has a voice that can be projected worldwide, but a good voice will not take you far if nobody’s listening. The social network generation will provide citizen journalists with millions upon millions of ears and eyes.

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Interview with Leonard Witt, creator of PJNet.org (a blog about public and citizen journalism).

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Two of the sites mentioned in my blog...

www.digg.com

www.JPNet.com