Introduction to Citizen Media
Tanzanian blogger Ndesanjo Macha looking for a wireless internet connection near the pyramids of Egypt. Macha blogs in both Swahili and English.
A change is taking place in how we communicate.
In This Guide:
Just ten years ago we all learned about the world around us from newspapers, the television, and radio. Professional journalists would go to faraway places and bring back stories, photographs and videos of the situations they witnessed and the people they met.
Sometimes at dinner we would talk about these stories with our friends and family. But ten years ago we rarely, if ever, communicated directly with the journalists themselves. Leading members of society wrote editorials expressing their opinions about various issues, but the rest of us could only share our opinions and thoughts with a small group of friends across the dinner table and in small cafes.
Over the last few years everything has changed. Thanks to tools like weblogs and online video sites, it is now possible to easily publish to the Internet. From Turkey to Kenya to Bolivia, everyday people like you and me are starting to share their stories and opinions with the rest of the world.
While this new form of communication is now freely available to anyone, most of the people participating still live in the wealthiest neighborhoods of major urban cities.
The purpose of this guide is to show that anyone with an internet connection can participate in the emerging global conversation. Our understanding of the world is now shaped not just by newspapers, magazines and television, but also by each other.
