Citizen Journalism Protects Human Rights

In April of 2017, a hardworking doctor was forced to leave and lugged off a plane for no apparent reason; soon after, a video of the incident was posted online, causing outrage throughout our media-enhanced world. A woman’s hopeless cry for help was not enough, and although several passengers recorded the horrific episode, no one intervened nor did anyone help the passenger that had been treated so awfully. Technology gives us emotional and physical comfort, whether that be in expressing feelings or chiming in on a controversial current event, in an age where social media has an immense impact on our habits on and off the web; yet in reality, our phones, computers, and tablets are turning us into active bystanders allowing and perhaps even amplifying the bystander effect. The diffusion of responsibility is a poison that begins with cell phone usage and spreads to social media. Today, people are too reliant on technology and fail to comprehend that social media is not social activism.

Our generation has been filled with outstanding technological advancements. Indeed, even only 15 years back, the absence of moment correspondence and the innovation accessible for scope had a significant effect in challenging. Even just 15 years ago, the lack of instant communication and the technology available for coverage made all the difference in protesting. Michel Corey in a peer reviewed article, noted how protesting is more simple with the new usage of technology. Corey goes into detail about an application, created by students, on their phones that sends updates on the current protest.This is just one example of the advance type of protesting. In contrast, we see a negative consequence of the social media in protesting by losing some of the

Gladwell sends a very strong message about how social media cannot cause a major revolution in society; likewise, Baron is sending across the same message. Revolutions continue even after the internet is shut down. As crowds gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Baron describes how they “continued to grow during the five days that the Mubarak government shut down the internet” (330). The crowds increased in size without the help of social media. Somehow, word got out and people came to support the cause. Also, Baron brings into realization that Americans are too involved in the world of social media. Americans fail to realize all of the news that they are missing because they “can’t seem to survive without the constant stimulus of digital multitasking” (Baron 330). American citizens are too busy tweeting about what they ate for breakfast to worry about the hungry that is going on overseas. They depend on social networking to tell them the news rather that picking up a newspaper and reading about what is going on in their country or maybe even overseas in a different country.

Today, people seem blinded by their outsized enthusiasm for social media. According to them, a few clicks can change the whole world and accomplish wonders such as curing cancer. Good intentions become sufficient on their own, as if there were no need for medicine and scientific researches anymore. Well, this is pure nonsense. Facebook’s likes cannot save African children from starvation, the same way Twitter’s 140 characters will not put an end to acts of terrorism. This notion is not even remotely debatable. For instance, the project Kony2012 had a perfect starting point; inspiring video, moving story and most importantly worldwide spread. Unfortunately, the terrorist is still at liberty, and the lack of thorough investigations is to blame. Instead of focusing on the real problems of war and kidnapping of children, the so-called activist related to the obvious and spent all of his money and energy on his movie. Ultimately, due to the predominance of weak-ties, the project was not successful. More importantly, certain tools of social networks, especially “likes” and “retweets”, encourage people to feel good about themselves, when actually they should incite them to put their efforts and means in the cause they supposedly defend. As Gladwell wrote, “[current] activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice but by motivating them to do the things that

Newspapers have since become an exceptionally poor means of reaching a motivated audience that can justly enforce change. Social media has the capability to uphold a broader grasp of an audience that encompasses forwardness. Furthermore, the use of an Internet platform, such as Facebook, to present the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” would have accelerated a positive outcome to the brutality of Birmingham by broadening the audience without differentiating the rhetorical situation.

Besides friends using social media to connect with other friends or families keeping in touch with other relatives who are at a distance, in the recent years, terrorists have taken advantage of social media and used it as a platform to threaten and send jaw dropping messages to some of the most popular outlets across the nation. For this paper, I will examine how terrorists have used social media as propaganda. I will also analyze the trends in media and terrorism, and how it has provided access for the promotion of the violent messages as well as allowing the news of terrorist attacks and assassinations to reach many parts of the world within a matter of minutes.

With the recent advent of social media we are now more aware to the plights of the less fortunate. Former Vice Provost of Duke University Cathy Davidson, author of the essay “Project Classroom Makeover”, discusses the rise of our interconnected society through the use of social media in her essay. In tandem with Davidson is Maggie Nelson, whose essay “Great to Watch” explores the violence that is so entrenched in our society. The advent of the internet created social media platforms for previously unheard of connection. Giving everyone an equal voice, this platform was prime for being used for activism. However it is not that simple, being an activist for human rights will expose a complex world of parallel and sometimes contradictory ideas. Well used is social media for activism, and for good purpose, it is the most powerful tool for exposing the oft overlooked humanitarian issues of our world.

This can cause serious problems within the criminal justice system. Social media plays a massive role in the way that news is allocated within society. However, because of this large role it plays, it also interferes with the investigation and results of a particular criminal action. One can imagine how swiftly he or she learned about the horrific shooting incident that happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School or the unfortunate killing of Trayvon Martin and how George Zimmerman was prosecuted based on the public’s online response.

Internet expands more each and every year. Although this is a good thing because we have way more resources now. It becomes way too progressive that humans get to into it. The government takes advantage of this. Humans have emotions and sometimes a way to let them out is to have the internet. People believe everything they post is safe but the government owns some of these websites we use. The government withholds a lot of our information, so it is questionable ton ask if what we put online is safe. The author extensively explores the role of internet censorship in the right to decide what art, or entertainment tool we use (1). This shows that not only do we think everything we post is safe but in the end it is our fault. We document part of our life and post on social media to make our life better or cooler in some ways. It is good to believe that most of the time the government will not do anything but it is also scary to know that they can track where someone is at any

There is not any guarantee that the friends on Facebook will support or help others in a situation. People are not exposed to witnessing any situation online through a computer screen, which results in technology to be consider a low-risk activism. Technology is a virtual place for users to meet people all the world, which distracts users from feeling lonely. Technology is a place for social communication over a computer screen whereas, civil right moments is a place where people bond. People communicate with one other to express and show their passion for what they are working for. Through hierarchical groups, people set clear goals and work together to complete the goals as one team. People create special bonds, but people can also create strong bonds through technology.

The emergence of the Internet in the 21st century has dramatically changed how we communicate. It has opened a new avenue for facilitating human interaction. Information that would otherwise take hours or even days to be made public, now take seconds with a click of a button. Is this good or bad? What are the consequences of rapid-fire quick communication style that we have adopted? In articles “How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight The Power,” and “The Attorney Fighting Revenge Porn,” authors Bijan Stephen and Margaret Talbot, discuss the pros and cons. Stephen discusses new mass mobilization structures social media has provided for social activists, while Talbot reflects on a new type of sexual harassment as a consequence of the

Getting in touch with media law during the first semester of my Masters gave me a sense of the importance of law in general because it consists of acts and articles which organise most issues in the human’s life in a way that protects ethics and morals. Regardless of the hypocrisy and double-standards

Citizen journalism is defined as any news content, such as articles, videos etc. created by amateurs. Traditional and citizen journalism are often contrasted to each other, however it is important to note the similarities alongside the differences. Because of the growing popularity of citizen journalism due to new technologies such as social media websites, it is essential to weigh the risks and opportunities to truly see how citizen journalism is affecting the world. It is vital to assess citizen journalism and its benefits of collaboration and pluralising voices, alongside the risks of inauthenticity, bias and causing an erosion in the quality of news, in order to fully understand its impacts.

Journalism and its practices have been around since the 1700s back in England, where the first ‘pamphlet’ met the requirements of a newspaper. As time changes, rules and laws have been created to protect both: journalists behind a story, and any other people involved in the story. However, even with the changes that come with time, one thing that every journalist must have as their ultimate goal is to inform the people with objectivity. Laws vary from country to country, and even state by state. I will discuss some laws that apply specifically to journalists in the United States, and I will make note if these rules differ even by state.

Contemporary social movements such as Arab Spring and Kony 2012 use the Internet and social media as potential tools towards change. But why are some more successful than others. This paper argues that when news outlets see the potential for change, they “premediate” (Richard Grusin) its possibilities, and make that change ever more possible in their coverage. On the other hand, extant stories that are more reactionary do not get the same amount of new exposure, and remain static. In other words, our media - not just social media, but news organizations - play a great role in shaping current events. I will compare and contrast the unfolding of the Arab Spring story, and how little changed regarding Kony 2012, as cases in point.