Twitter

The timeliness of Twitter makes this microblog a critical tool for creating user content.  Users have great mobility to post and comment events the second they happen.  The ability of mobile phone cameras also make it possible to upload pictures in seconds.  Twitter uses websites like TwitPic and yFrog to display the pictures.  GPS in cell phones can give exact coordinates of exactly when and where a post or picture was sent into the network.  

Influence of the Blog

The bloggers have also influenced the structure of the narrative.  Many new sites are formatted like blogs.  Since social networks are overshadowing blogging, experts theorize that the future of the blog looks more social.  

 The traditional inverted pyramid style has been merged into a digital media pyramid.  The new pyramid consists of the traditional the body, art & ads, and links, resources, and social content. The social aspect of new media journalism and allows for more interaction through the news stories.

Sites like the Huffington Post is purely an internet news site, and is formatted like a blog.  As compared to the NY Times, the posts are shorter and contain more multimedia options.  

The Huffington Post has many picture news slide shows that count down from various topics.  They may be hard or soft news, and contain user ratings on the side, as well as related new stories and pictures.

CNN iReport

CNN iReport is another example of the phenomenon of citizen content.  By making an account, creators can upload pictures and text content that is not edited, fact-checked or screened before they post. Only ones marked have been checked by CNN.  

Here an example of a photo of flooding in Mexico City.  The username of the citizen is included, as well as a synopsis of what is going on in the picture. 

Japanese Earthquake

Citizen amateur video played a huge role in the 2011 earthquake in Japan.  Videos such as this one were available on Youtube, as well as harder new sources.  This video was featured in Yahoo News.


YouTube also features an exclusive page dedicated to uploads from individuals, Citizentube. The playlists on the page feature news stories such as the protests in Libya, the Japanese earthquake, and severe weather footage. The site creates a simple way to view this raw footage.