Homeless Nation is New Media at Its Best

"Compassion suffers together not in isolation," is the belief and heart behind Homeless Nation. This is a website where the voiceless are heard and a place to call home for those who have no other.

Brett Gaylor, board-member and producer of this innovative website, and his fellow architects of Homeless Nation are on the verge of a breakthrough. They epitomize my very own vision of the future of media. They have opened the world of journalism and information production/distribution to people who would never have had the opportunity through traditional outlets. They provide women like first nations activist, Rose, with the knowledge and means to tell their stories.

In taking away the label of 'hobo' or 'pan-handler' and giving each person a name and face, the website forces us to see the individual stories behind homelessness. I am constantly getting in arguments with people who stereotype homeless people as lazy or who claim that they choose to live the life they lead. This may be the case for some, but each person has his or her own story. Homeless Nation allows them to share their stories and fight against those generalizations.

This is citizen journalism and new media at its best. In this very same way Africans may overcome the Western media's painted image of them. They will no longer be seen as helpless objects of our pity. They can portray themselves in a dignified light. They can represent their own issues so we may see behind the label of 'ethnic' or 'tribal' warfare to the politically, socially and economically distinct characteristics of each one. New media will enable them and the rest of the drowned out voices to speak out so that we may come together as a globe. It will grant us all the ability to share our opinions and stories and see perspectives we never considered before. It can bring us together and help us better understand each other, allowing us to improve our society as a whole.