The Wizard Of Oz: Fired by Citizen Journalism, Blog and Digital Democracy

The Wizard of Oz: Fired by Citizen Journalism, Blog and Digital Democracy

In the past weeks my blog has centered around one key word “Change”. We discussed how communication is in a constant state of evolution primarily due to technology such as Social Medial Prodigies (Face book /Twitter); Smart phones, Apps and Media Convergence. This week let's focus on some more ever expanding elements of communication, the Blog, Citizen Journalism and Digital Democracy. 

By the way the scarecrows real name is Ray Bloger

Before this class,  blogging, as far as I was concerned, was a tool individuals used to promote personal ideas , market products or fill up time between tweeting and posting to their status.  In hindsight my view was not “somewhat “limited but “grossly” limited because it failed to take into consideration the impact Blogging and Citizen Journalism is making on democracy and the world.  Oxford Dictionaries defines Citizen Journalism as the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the Internet. Citizen Journalism is a "buzz" word with numerous descriptions. 

Then, there was the definition under the heading New Words & Slang in  Merriam-Webster: Citizen Journalist (noun): one who is not a professional journalist who posts observations online (in a blog, Internet video, etc.) Ouch, that hurt! What about people such as myself or my fellow classmates  who write a blog each week? Does that mean we aren't considered professional journalists?

               

 Sadly, this definition is reflected in a research by Serena Carpenter, entitled Source Diversity in US Citizen Journalism and Online Newspaper Articles she writes “There is tension between those who consider themselves online citizen journalists and those who work as journalists for traditional news organizations. Citizen Journalists are criticized for their propensity to feature entertainment articles with limited background research, rather than informing the public on matters that benefit them as citizens.” Then it hit me,  people who adhere to the definition of citizen journalist  not  being professionals, are operating under what I call the  “Wizard of Oz  Mindset”, which is:

People are not allowed to use their brains, talents , skills or insight (heart)  until deemed worthy by an individual, group or organization  with the proper qualification and authority.

Most of use remember the story. Right?, “The Wizard of Oz was a 1939 American movie notable for its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and unusual characters, over the years it has become one of the best known of all films and part of American popular culture.” (Wikipedia)The story is about a girl named Dorothy and  a unique group of characters who bond together to find their hearts desires. Dorothy and her new friends are told there is a great and powerful Wizard at the end of a yellow brick road who can make all their dreams come true. In the end the group discovers what bloggers, online journalists, grassroots reporters, and my classmates are learning. The Wizard of Oz was a powerless fake hiding behind a curtain who deserved  to be fired.

Social media challenges us to live outside the box. Can we afford to limit news gathering  to traditional news coverage.  This kind of mindset  would dismiss the Citizen Journalists in  "James Surowiecki attributes in his Ted Talk as being apart of the pinpoint moment when social media became an equal player in the world of news-gathering: the 2005 tsunami, when YouTube video, blogs, IMs and txts carried the news -- and preserved moving personal stories from the tragedy." Blogs are a form of digital democracy which cannot be ignored. Yes, it is important for writers to support ideas with research; yes, it is important to share relevant background information which demonstrates expertise  on a topic  and yes, facts matter over just personal opinion. 

Despite the current controversy, traditional news organizations have begun to adopt online citizen journalism content. For example, Gannett Company, Inc., the publisher of USA Today, has committed to incorporating more online citizen-generated content. Citizens act as community watchdogs and story researchers for their publication.CNN.com’s I-Report averages 3,000 citizen journalism submissions per month." One of the perks to gathering news stories through online blogs is the cost. Free. Additionally, citizen journalist are able to write blogs without the strong guidelines which traditionally governs journalism such as ratings, social pressure or  need  to  reach a broader audience. This along with a greater degree of diversity among the writers is adding to the appeal. . Citizen Journalism, Blogs and Digital Democracy remind us everyday "Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didn't already have. " (America)

 Across The Generations:

This week it was easy to determine how the generations in my family would handle the firing of the Wizard of Oz. My mother grew during a time period when a label determined everything. A person was not a major player in society unless they were a teacher, a preacher or a candle maker.  The thought of someone without formal training providing the news in a blog and expecting to be taken seriously. She would say that is what's wrong with the world today. People taking short cuts. 

My mother raised us with the same mindset. It was passed on to me and my siblings. We were all conditioned to attend school, get good grades and get a job preferably with a label. This most likely accounts for three out of the five of us serving in the military and all of us having some form of professional training. It also will attest for me being enrolled in a graduate program at the age of 40 plus.  Yet, unlike my siblings, I have shed most of my belief in the Wizard. I self-publish books and  I never attended a University or received any formal training to learn how.  I decided not to wait around for someone to tell me it was something I was capable of doing.  According to some of my family members, I should be clocking in at the same time daily with the hopes of living long enough to receive the ultimate label…retired. I must admit I struggle with knowing if I living my life "correctly" .

     

My twenty year old son, on the other hand,  was raised with the trickle-down effect of belief in the Wizard.  It was a similar to the one I received " Go to school, get good grades, attend college and then create your own company".  His generation has the above sign plastered on their dorm room wall “Pay No Attention to the Man behind the Curtain”.  His  generation is not waiting for anyone to tell  them when and how to use their skills/ personal talents. They blogs for entertainment; to protest against social injustice; to influence political opinions and simply for self-expression. They create YouTube Channels and Radio Shows  simply to showcase their talents. His generation has courage, heart , a brain and according to a article in Forbes they will not be leaving home anytime soon. “Approximately 51 million Americans live in multigenerational households,” stated a May 2012 article in Forbes. How would my sons generations reaction to the firing of  Mr. Oz? 

You might want to check YouTube because there is a high probability someone video recorded the board meeting and  the entire firing  process was caught on their smart phone;  a couple of high school students  auto-tuned it; the remix went viral; a college student developed a game app "Fire The Wizard" where the goal is to gain access to the Wizard's castle and someone just updated their Facebook status:  The Wizard of Oz moving to Kansas? or Tweeted: The Wizard who?