Mass Amateurization

Prior to the World Wide Web, the public received information in three main ways, newspapers, television or radio. The public trusted these professionals to provide them with breaking news that was both informative and trustworthy. But the way the world consumes information in this day and age not only threatens traditional print media but also the professionals that fed us the news. The definition of a journalist is not as concrete as it once was, and the credentials of what is considered newsworthy or news at all is also changing. In this new era of mass amateurization, defined as the capabilities that new forms of media have given to non-professionals and the ways in which those non-professionals have applied those capabilities to solve problems (e.g. create and distribute content) that compete with the solutions offered by larger, professional institutions. Shirky states, " “From now on news can break into public consciousness without the traditional press weighing in” (64-65). Anyone can be a journalist, anyone can be a publisher. But the question becomes, what standards can now be put in place for the news? There are no Internet "professionals" so no one can control the content that is publisher nor can anyone preside over what news is actually important and no one can filter the good from the bad.

The first example that comes to mind is photography. These days anyone with a camera and a good filter perceives themselves to be the next Ansel Adams. Shirky states that professional, "learns things in a way that differentiates her from most of the populace, and she pays as much or more attention to the judgement of her peers as to the judgement of her customers when figuring out how to do her job" (58). This definition is important because most amateurs whether it be in the form of photography or writing or sports look to their peers for acceptance and judgement. But true professionals look to other who have honed their craft and have years of study and experience under their belt to judge their work. As Shirky states, "Mass amateurization is the result of the radical spread of expressive capabilities" (66). With the use of apps such as Instagram, Snapseed, and VSCO, the average Joe can take gasp worthy photos. 

Although mass amateurization has caused a major shift in how news is both generated and consumed in some would say a negative way, there are some advantages. Citizen journalism has captured and highlighted many events that traditional professionals have either overlooked or in some cases just don't have access to. In recent years many events of police brutality against people of color have been taped by innocent bystanders and although the videos have caused outraged, they have sparked a movement, Black Lives Matter. This seemingly amateur type of news has provided culpability in the police force and has also been used as evidence in court. On the other hand there are countless news stories that are written by non-professionals that are false. Shirky states, "Much of the time the internal consistency of professional judgment is a good thing- not only do we want those standards of education and competence…”(58). The public wants news from people that know what they are talking about, that are educated, reliable, trustworthy, and in the know. Professional journalist endure years of schooling and have to start at the bottom of the publishing world and through hard work finally reach the top. Some guy sitting on his couch, tweeting about the current president-elect isn't a reliable source of information. 

"As Scott Bradner, a former trustee of the Internet Society , puts it, The Internet means you don't have to convince anyone else that something is a good idea before trying it" (77). With this information in mind, future generations have to be more critical of both citizen journalism and professional news. The public has to be more particular about what news they consume and more importantly what publications they place their trust in. In the future the public has to become more accountable with mass amateurization, false new sites need to be called out, major publications have to be held to a higher standard due to the fact that anyone can publish anything. Newspapers such as the New York Times and The Post need to set a standard for news and not succumb to the pressures of the 24 hour news cycle and the mindset that publications just have to be first to break news rather then be right.  

Work Cited: 
Shirky, Clay. "Everyone Is a Media Outlet." Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations. New York: Penguin, 2008. N. pag. Print.