EOTO 2 - Reflection

 

    From the second set of presentations, one of the most prominent presentations that stood out to me was citizen journalism presented by Maggie Halvorsen. Citizen journalism is when citizens who aren’t published journalists go out and collect information themselves and publish their own news based on what they see for themselves. It is the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the internet. Citizen journalism also provides instant coverage. It also bypasses censorship since there isn’t a large organization overshadowing them telling them what they can and can’t say. This is also provides a form of democratic news, with the people being able to share their opinions in the form of online news. This also gives access to specialized coverage to the local area for civilians, and it can tap into deeper markets not provided by mainstream media. It also has a significantly lower cost. When the video was shown of hurricane Helene damage in western North Carolina, I was surprised on how well it was made for such a small news source. I was also surprised to learn the video of the John F. Kennedy assassination was a form of citizen journalism, since the video was used as evidence to track down where the bullet was shot from. However, while citizen journalism can be incredible, it can be harmful because of echo chambers, which can promote misinformation. This is also harmful because peoples opinions and emotions can sway into the mix leading to inaccuracy and unreliability from these sources. This is also harmful because it can give biased opinions. 

    Adding onto echo chambers, Jonathan Reeves presentation on echo chambers provided a perfect example of what can happen through citizen journalism and the small amount of people that regularly follow them. Echo chambers are a small group of people that reflect shared opinions and beliefs from a small minority. The example shown from this reflected this perfectly, when a TikToker allegedly died and everyone in this small echo chamber of followers believed it based on the little information was given out.