The topic of my storify focuses on Alana and June Thompson, also known as Honey Boo Boo. This show is featured on TLC, and has received many negative comments against it. Highly critiqued for the "go-go" juice used in the show, to get Alana (7 year old) hyper before going on stage. Alana is a "larger" toddler, and only gets noticed because of her poor, hick family, unlike other girls in the pageants, who are acknowledged based on looks. Many people think this show is absolutely ridiculous, as it showcases that Alana never actually wins pageants, how she eats cheese balls for breakfast and stereotypes people living in southern United States. They first appeared on Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC, which is also highly criticized for showing young girls looking like older more sexualized women, and teaching them that beauty is the number one priority from a young age.
Take a look at my storify for more news, clips, tweets, Facebook posts and stories related to Honey Boo Boo.
http://storify.com/ToddlersTiaras2
Summative- New Journalism
When talking about citizen journalism, the main issue that rises is most people aren't actually participating, and if they are, the validity of the content is lost. The feedback I recieved followed this notion, as the first person said, he was more of a consumer than a producer. Social media provides us (people with access) the opportunity to comment and say what they want on news stories, which takes away from the journalists jobs who strive on being trustworthy and respectable. I feel, along with the second person commenting, that there is no real harm in sharing your opinion on events. We live in a place where everyone has the right to be heard equally, even if it is just how they feel about a news story. As long as people are aware of whose posting what, there is no harm. As colin (first person) said in his blog, and I agree with, in the end it comes down to money, which a lot of the topics in this class relate to. Twitter now has accounts for major newspapers, people have the news so easily accessible and at their fingertips. Which is convenaint for the "tweeters" but they are providing this in hopes that they click on the link, leading them to their website with their content. Technology, as mentioned isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I agree that politicians will start using this to their advantage, as the second person said, we just need to be aware of the "forces at play". As social media progresses and people become more comfortable with it, perhaps we will see more producers commenting on events and putting their two cents into a topic. As for now, both consumers and the people providing the information seem to be happy, we get news quickly (what this generation is about) and they get their money.
When the bombing in Boston happened, I saw on twitter and Facebook people uploading pictures of possible suspects and men on rooftops, this is just an example of how, like Hermida (2012) said social media provides more eye witnesses in a crisis. I found this interesting, but like anything, going agaisnt the tradtional form of things is hard to do, but social media is providing an outlet to go agaisnt tradtional forms of journalism.
When the bombing in Boston happened, I saw on twitter and Facebook people uploading pictures of possible suspects and men on rooftops, this is just an example of how, like Hermida (2012) said social media provides more eye witnesses in a crisis. I found this interesting, but like anything, going agaisnt the tradtional form of things is hard to do, but social media is providing an outlet to go agaisnt tradtional forms of journalism.
New Journalism
This week we are talking about citizen journalism, I wasn’t too
clear on what this exactly was so I googled it (of course) and good old
Wikipedia showed up. Two definitions from Wikipedia stood out to me, because they
made citizen journalism make more sense. The first was "playing an active
role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news
and information” (Bowman and Willis, 2003) and second "When the people
formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession
to inform one another” (Rosen, 2012). With the rise of social media it is clear
that more people can openly discuss issues, such as the news freely and how
they see these topics. People are no longer to just listen to what others
think, they can express how they feel through social media. Social media
provides the opportunity to challenge traditional and formal journalism, but
with this comes consequences. As Hermida (2012) discusses the verification of
information, the truth and validity of a given topic that journalists claim
they have the ability to do is lost when the average person can post whatever
they please. Schudson and Anderson (2009) explain that journalist are able to
see reality of a situation, which gives them special authority over the news
but with new technology, taking pictures and having blogs these people are receiving
more and more credit along with creditably in what they post. Twitter has made
it possible for TV networks and newspapers to send a message instantly out to
the social media world, it is live broadcasts of the news (Hermida, 2012).
Another opportunity that has occurred because of social media and citizen
journalism is when a crisis or news event does happen, there are more eye
witnesses and people who can gather reports as events unfold in real time
(Hermida, 2012).
Even though I have social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook, I would still say I am a consumer when it comes to citizen journalism. I read what other people have to say on news issues, and perhaps search through twitter when something big has happened, but I rarely comment on how I feel about a topic, or give my two cents. Again, I don’t think social media sites are going anywhere anytime soon, I believe they will keep evolving, therefore we should learn ways to embrace and use these sites for good. News events of all kinds draw millions of people worldwide, and the Internet gives everyone (who has access) the ability to discuss among themselves, as well as to provide other information about these events (Friedman, S. M. 2011).
Hermida, A. (2012). TWEETS AND TRUTH: Journalism as a discipline of collaborative
verification. Journalism Practice. 6:5-6, p659-668.
Friedman, S. M. (2011). Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima: An analysis of traditional and new media coverage of nuclear accidents and radiation. Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists, 67(5), 55-65.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
Even though I have social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook, I would still say I am a consumer when it comes to citizen journalism. I read what other people have to say on news issues, and perhaps search through twitter when something big has happened, but I rarely comment on how I feel about a topic, or give my two cents. Again, I don’t think social media sites are going anywhere anytime soon, I believe they will keep evolving, therefore we should learn ways to embrace and use these sites for good. News events of all kinds draw millions of people worldwide, and the Internet gives everyone (who has access) the ability to discuss among themselves, as well as to provide other information about these events (Friedman, S. M. 2011).
Friedman, S. M. (2011). Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima: An analysis of traditional and new media coverage of nuclear accidents and radiation. Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists, 67(5), 55-65.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
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