Social Media and Citizen Journalism

Social media have changed both the way we receive news and the way that news is created. Social media allow for citizen journalism, in which anyone with a cellphone or with access to social media sites, can document news. Cellphones provide quick access to sites such as Twitter and Facebook that allow for the fast uploads of videos and content. As a result many citizens during times of crisis and media censorship depend on social media to share videos, pictures and stories of current events. 

An example of how social media can be used as a source of journalism can be seen in the ways in which it was used during the Iranian election in 2009. During this election there was an unrest and government censorship of mainstream media led people to turn to Twitter as a means of both organizing protest and documenting what was happening within the country. Twitter and Facebook allowed citizens to share with one another as well as with the world what was truly happening in Iran.

Social media has become an integral source of information during times of media censorship.  Though social media citizens can share current events as they happen and it has allowed for the democratization of the news in which people no longer have to just rely on mainstream media for their information. 

This use of social media as a source of journalism and information illustrates that sites like Facebook and Twitter are not just used as a means to talk to friends or gossip about celebrity’s culture. Rather, social media can be used as a means of sharing and creating news.