Times a' Changing

Twitter is new to me! I only made an account to justify this subjects requirements otherwise I dont hink I would have ever got an account. I am a faithful facebook user and I find one form of social networking is enough for me. I found that twitter was like multiple status updates over and over and over again, and i don't really have anything that quirky and funny to say that often. basically i missed the point of twitter all together until I was in this weeks lecture. Ted showed the flow of information that was obtained through the hash tag #Bangkok during the unrrest in Thailand. The public were tweeting in regular updates about the confrontation, which streets were closed etc. This was a perfect example of citizen journalism, news as process. It was then that I understood the importance of twitter and its ability to be so informative, mind you i am still not very interested in what Britney Spears does in her time off.

The journalism industry is entering a time of crisis. Before the times of the internet the mass media had the power to spin, twist, alter stories to favour one party or not. This power is what most people have come to love or hate most about the media. However, in this day and age the internet allows the individual to broadcast their story to a mass audience, where consumers become prosumers. In addition to citizen journalism, the industry is seeing a new form of reporting, gatewatching. This to me is quite interesting and something I have not thought about. Gatewatching relies less on first hand-investigative research but more on information search and retrieval skills especially in online environments. So if the gatewatcher was interested in reporting about the riots in Bangkok they may use the Bangkok hash tag as a source for their report. Gatewatching is becoming more prevalent as the demand for fast and reliable news is increasing.
Kirk'thir the gatewatcher, is the only gatewatcher I know.