In today’s day and age there are numerous ways in which a person is able to access the extensive number of media and its technology with the help of the web. In chapter three, “Everyone Is a Media Outlet” outline the emergence and logic of mass amateurization, which is the experience of as well as development of mass medium which is the direct replica of mass communication and how the impact of media has in daily living throughout time. Chapter three explores the logic and emergence of mass amateurization as well. Mainly, mass amateurization deals with the way new forms of media have given to those who are not professionals and the way these nonprofessionals use these new forms of media. Within the chapter, Clay Shirky also outlines the meaning of the Media Professional. The media professional is a person who specializes in producing whichever form of media they have been trained in.
Within the chapter, Shirky also explores the rise of the professional journalist and the benefits of being an amateur rather than a professional. Shirky writes that in order for a professional to solve problems, they much obtain some kind of specialization. This thought can be specifically applied to the medical profession. A surgeon cannot be a surgeon until they have studied all kinds of surgery and then choose a specific wing of surgery to study even farther. This a regular person who has not received training can understand surgery on their own, but a surgeon is only trusted when publicly certified.
The professional journalist is important in a plethora of ways. However, the most important quality of the professional journalist is credibility. A professional journalist’s credibility is rarely ever questioned. If backed by an outlet that has been proven credible, anything reported will be assumed credible and never questioned. The amateur journalist’s credibility will always be questioned. However, the amateur journalist may produce news that is far more raw and truthful than the professional journalist ever could.
For example, in July 2017 Philando Castile school cafeteria worker from St. Paul, Minn., was shot and killed while sitting inside his vehicle by a police officer. The entire ordeal was recorded and streamed live by his girlfriend who was seated besides him in the vehicle at the time of the shooting. Castile’s girlfriend was able to capture distinct details about the shooting that a professional journalist could never acquire after the incident.
Amateur journalism offers a more realistic tint to reported news by making it far more personal as everyday people are the ones reporting it. Amateur journalism knocks down the barriers between the reporters and the audience. It allows the audience to feel as though they also hold power and their voices can be heard. Without amateur journalists, in cases like these inaccurate details can not only be reported but these same details can make a difference within the public reaction and the consequences for those responsible. Amateur reporters are now more than ever revealing the truth in situations where the truth would normally be covered up or distorted.
(Screenshots of the images recorded by the girlfriend of Philando Castile)
While amateur journalism has many great aspects to it, it struggles desperately with credibility because of how open its access it is. With modern technology, any and everybody is able to create some sort of outlet that they are in charge of the content being into it. With this new form of media, bloggers are now widely taking the place of journalists. Without obtaining any sort of degree, bloggers can now not only report what others report as news but they are also able to include their opinions. With the inclusion of a person's opinion, the line between factual news and an exaggerated puff piece is blurred.
For example, popular online celebrity tabloid TMZ has garnered so much attention it now a television show. Although given a credible platform to report on, numerous celebrities are continuously complaining that news stories reported by TMZ are false. However, being that TMZ is widely known makes it hard for its credibility to be questioned even when reporting untrue stories.
Other news outlets are now beginning to use social media to create news stories. For example, popular blog The Shade Room uses celebrity Instagram activity to piece different stories together and then reports it as a news story. The amateur journalist is now creating a society where one celebrity liking the picture of another is a newsworthy story. It also allows the public to take simple stories and make assumptions off of it, thus creating a larger story that is likely untrue.
While the amateur journalist has given power to everyday people and allows the public to feel closer to the issues of the world, it has also created an irreversible culture of stories with no credibility being circulated and distributed.
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