The Rise in Citizen Reporters and Media

Because of social media, the delivery and consumption of news has changed throughout the years. Before, news was only delivered through traditional methods such as television, radio, newspaper, and word of mouth. Now, because of the Internet, there are social media platforms, websites, RSS feeds, and etc.

Citizen journalist are a new group of people delivering the news who compete against traditional journalists. They are often the first on scene for breaking and sharing news more rapidly than traditional journalists (Rogers, 2018).  Although they may not have gone through training, citizen journalists gain fans and followers through social media while developing a brand for themselves. Twitter is a microblog platform where users can share personal information or news (Zhuang, 2014). This platform is widely used by journalists who can share information and news instantly.

We consume media in many different outlets and there are traditional and nontraditional journalists who share news and information with people.

References

Rogers, T. (2018, November 11). Understanding citizen journalism. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-citizen-journalism-2073663

Zhuang, Z. (2014). The Importance of Citizen Journalists in New Media when Reporting on Catastrophes. Global Studies Journal, 7(3), 21–39. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=100177639&site=eds-live&scope=site

Never Leave Your House

In today's society, we don't ever have to leave our house because of technology. From grocery and general shopping, to movies and food deliveries, companies are paid to deliver everything to your doorstep that you can imagine. Devices such as Siri or an Amazon echo can answer your questions or place orders when you command the devices to take action.


We expect people to react the same way that we ask our devices to respond, which is quickly and correctly so we feel instant gratification. People can now order their groceries and have them delivered to them so they will never have to go inside a store to shop. When consumers make an online purchase, they are looking for low prices and convenience (Agrawal, 2017). Movies can be purchased and streamed online through one's television and no human interaction is needed from start to finish. In addition, if a restaurant doesn't offer delivery, there are companies that hire people who will pick up your food and deliver it to you within minutes. The Internet has increased the culture of instant gratification by allowing people to have access to anything within seconds (Metcalfe, 2017).

References

Agrawal, A. (2017). 5 ways technology is changing eCommerce. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288149

Metcalfe, L. (2017, September 5). The future of retail - how technology will change the way we shop [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://crealytics.com/blog/future-retail-technology-will-change-way-shop/

Connected 24/7, Do We Ever Unplug

Technology has allowed us to be connected to anyone and anywhere at any time. We live in a culture where we are drawn to our cell phones 24/7 with text messaging, apps, email, social media, and etc. When we are at work, screen time is spent on our computers and using other technology around us which is no different from what we do at home. People use technology to connect with one another, but it can also drive us apart (Steinbrecher, 2014). 

Because other tools such as email and instant messaging, people may not be socially connected as before because we are not using face to face communication. Instead, many of us choose to communicate over text instead of voice and we miss the personal conversations because we are using social media and technology to share our information. We don't know when to unplug because our devices are always on and we can't shut them down or leave them at home.

References:

Steinbrecher, S. Why our 24/7 connected society is driving us farther apart [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-our-247-connected-society-is-driving-us-farther-apart_b_5185925

Talks, T. (2014, November 10). How social media makes us unsocial. TEDxSMU. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5GecYjy9-Q