Before taking this class I knew virtually nothing about citizen journalism, almost nothing about blogging, and I would have considered myself uninterested in the ways of new media.
That was before.
As I grow and learn in our class, I am continuously baffled by the sheer power of the Internet and all of its capabilities. Just a few short weeks ago I would have dismissed blogging (minus perezhilton, but does he count?) as a fad directed at freaks and geeks- nothing up my alley.
I now see citizen journalism as the way of our future and blogging as a cultural and political force to be reckoned with.
When I stumbled upon Quarterlife I immediately became hooked, but it also reiterated that the ideas learned in class, that blogging is beginning to dominate mainstream media.
Quarterlife was originally a show aired on myspace and quarterlife.com and focuses on a group of college graduates and their life post-university. Quarterlife's plot centers around the main character, Dylan who blogs about her life and friends. Dylan's new blogging addiction causes problems with the people in her life as they find out what she says about them and react accordingly.
Quarterlife is an example of the blogging phenomenon, its power, influence, and growing trend in popular culture. It is also proof that people are not only interested in reading and contributing to blogs that they have realized that they will become an essential part of our future As a journalism student though, I keep asking myself how will my profession be a part of this?
That was before.
As I grow and learn in our class, I am continuously baffled by the sheer power of the Internet and all of its capabilities. Just a few short weeks ago I would have dismissed blogging (minus perezhilton, but does he count?) as a fad directed at freaks and geeks- nothing up my alley.
I now see citizen journalism as the way of our future and blogging as a cultural and political force to be reckoned with.
When I stumbled upon Quarterlife I immediately became hooked, but it also reiterated that the ideas learned in class, that blogging is beginning to dominate mainstream media.
Quarterlife was originally a show aired on myspace and quarterlife.com and focuses on a group of college graduates and their life post-university. Quarterlife's plot centers around the main character, Dylan who blogs about her life and friends. Dylan's new blogging addiction causes problems with the people in her life as they find out what she says about them and react accordingly.
Quarterlife is an example of the blogging phenomenon, its power, influence, and growing trend in popular culture. It is also proof that people are not only interested in reading and contributing to blogs that they have realized that they will become an essential part of our future As a journalism student though, I keep asking myself how will my profession be a part of this?
When Craig Silverman spoke to our class he addressed this very topic and assured us the there are solutions. Silverman stressed that, "We need to stop thinking about ourselves as gatekeepers and the sole providers of news", and we need to think of a future where amateurs and professionals will collaborate in unison.
As journalists, we might be better, more qualified, and more experienced, but times are changing and we need to learn how to adjust and adapt.
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