Mass Amateurization

In Clay Shirky's, Everyone is a media outlet he speaks about Mass Amateurization. This concept can go in many directions but Shirky tells us about the arrival of the new type of news writing and reporting. The Internet changed the lives of many more importantly the lives of reporters since there job have been replaced by mass media. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter and many more have started to distribute news and some news actual reporters feel that is not newsworthy. But we have to understand what Shirky has said, "many media companies correctly understood that the trustworthiness of each outlet was lower than that of established outlets like The New York Times"(65). This means that just because a few people tweeted online about what is going on in the outside world doesn't mean it is absolutely true. 

The reason mass media has become a new source of getting the news is that it is more convenient. People still read the paper and online news but hear it first at social media sites. Technology today has allowed the spreading of amateur news so easy for the general public. But what separates the general public to the professional writers is the thinking of the two people. Professional writers only write about what they believe is newsworthy as the public will post up what they find and what others will find interesting. 

I have experienced hearing about important news on the Internet before I heard about it anywhere else. The shooting at the the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Sikh Temple in early August, I had learned about the tragic attack on Facebook, as someone who had family was at the temple during the attack. He posted it on his status before any of the television stations broadcasted it or before any of the online newspapers had. I agree that social media had helped me learn about events before big time news companies had. 

In Jenkins book, he states Heather Lawyer a girl who was home schooled and started her own blog site spreading her views on the Harry Potter books. As teachers and school libraries tried there best to ban the distribution and discussions on the book, children had no where else to base there ideas and opinions. Lawyer gave everybody the place to express without any fear of getting into trouble. This is a type of amateur writing and it is okay since peoples views on the book. Jenkin States, "the ability to circulate what you create via the internet so that it can be shared with others" (Jenkins 185). The internet generation is lucky to be able to do these types of connections. 

The media professional will still stay alive in the future since it will always be the way to find out the real truth after one reads about the amateur news reports. Since people like me who may hear a story on social media sites first and read online/physical newspapers right after to find out more details and to see the authenticity of the story. In the future amateur news and writing will continue to grow on the internet since technology will only advance. But they will never take the place of the professionals out there. 


sources:
Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins
Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky
http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/kids/features/1565/the-ten-commandments-of-generation-z