Monday, October 31, 2011

Population, Blogging, and Citizen Journalism


What will you remember 2011 for? I don't think you'll remember it for the year the world population topped 7 Billion people on the planet. Yep thats right 7 billion mouths to feed so thats 0.001972km of arable land for every human, I should point out that includes all land for animal grazing too. Not much then?

Will may remember it for the Arab spring, Steve Jobs death, Siri (the first mobile device that talks to you) but I bet we will all remember the world dept, Greek dept will be the main focus but really we are all up to our necks in it. I myself would have sold my home of 17 years to clear mine and to be dept free.

Something we may not remember but has now changed the world for ever is Citizen Journalism. 


If you have a mobile device you can post footage almost as it happens and with in minuets of it taking place it can be broadcast all around the globe. 

Many of the networks that have been blamed for spreading misinformation is suddenly aiding in a revolution. Without the likes of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blackberry Messenger some of these uprisings wouldn't of happened.

Some of this does have a down side as we saw in the UK as Blackberry Messenger used to organising rioting in London and other cities around England. One thing that was blamed was the cost of living and personal dept, but please ask yourself this why did it not spread to Scotland or Wales? Both these areas have some of the highest personal dept and unemployment anywhere in the country?

But one of the things that was amazing about the riots was the people power that backlashed against the rioters. people handed over phone footage to police of rioters committing criminal acts, but not only that people posted pictures of themselves with stolen goods to there Facebook pages.

What ever we have seen over the last 10 months it is only the very beginning of citizen journalism around the world.

Bear x

No comments: