In the Thick of It

„However, web 2.0 technologies have stepped in and introduced a new scenario where it presents itself as a channel through which viewers and readers are participating in the making of the news agenda. The audience is no longer seen as a collection of bystanders but as a community of potential citizen journalists. Established news agencies such as CNN and Al Jaazera are running the corresponding platforms, iReport and Sharek, to monitor and tap into a news wishlist of sorts. As a consequence, media users are now also connected to each other through a horizontal flow when it comes to conveying media and news content (citizen-to-citizen). Through the sourcing of news stories, news agencies are investing in a wider network of correspondent while keeping an ear to the ground.

The model has wider repercussions and spans over other areas of public interest. Social networks can no longer be dismissed as a mere fad or trend of a generation obsessed with Reality TV stars. Digital media has made each and every smartphone, laptop or tablet a window onto the world’s state of affairs.

The internet has become an iCoffee House, with social networks being the source of knowledge and information that can be discussed with / by whomever would like to join the debate. All the features of a conventional coffee house are there, except for one: you’ll have to brew your own coffee.”