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Continuation: JOURNALISM IN TODAY'S WORLD

Here is an article addressing the distrust towards the media:

This article perfectly describes the concerns with traditional media. That those who have connections to any media corporation or company has the power to alternate stories based on their agendas: political, corporate or personal beliefs. And because of this, people are torn if the information given by these companies are to be trusted.

CONCLUSION:

While citizen journalism offers unfiltered content, it also comes with the dangers of misrepresentation of information given and a lack of accountability, exposing the challenges of the modern media. With citizen journalists lacks on formal training and professional standards, it may unintentionally spread a misleading information or message as there is no editorial guidance given to them. Like in traditional media, citizen journalism can also have biases and agendas. Meaning their content might be based on their personal beliefs or motivated by their emotions rather than logic.

So, a balanced approach is often the best. Checking multiple sources: traditional media for well investigated reports and citizen journalism for real-time reports, which will give you a fuller picture of the story. Whether it is traditional media or citizen journalism, you should always check the credibility of the information given. By verifying claims and checking different perspectives, you will get a much clearer understanding of any event.

Works Cited:

Peterson, S. M. (2021, March 28). CBC News. Retrieved from How U.S. media lost the trust of the public: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/media-distrust-big-news-1.5965622

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Continuation: JOURNALISM IN TODAY'S WORLD

‘FAKE NEWS’ and ‘Do Your Own Research’: WHO TO TRUST? TRADITIONAL MEDIA OR CITIZEN JOURNALISM

The distrust in traditional media is fueled by suspected prejudice, corporate and government influence, which made the public question the accuracy of the information they offer or share. Another factor is the connection of the younger generation and the rise of digital platforms, wherein most of them prefers to consume news and entertainment on their smartphones and tablets which offers personalized and tailored content.

“Generally, younger people, people with low income, and people with lower levels of formal education tend to trust the news less. These are also groups that are often less well served by the news media, and generally less likely to think that the media cover people like them fairly, as we showed in our Digital News Report 2021 (Fletcher, 2024).”

Lastly, because of the pressure of delivering news quickly nowadays, it costs the expense of accuracy. As news or information given in traditional media often spreads quickly and widely, factual errors is a no-no. Even if corrections are made later on, the damage is already done, and it will raise a question of credibility. The original report tends to spread further and faster than the correction.

Connection to Citizen Journalism

As a result, public are more likely to turn to citizen journalism because they believe they deliver reports that are more authentic, direct, and transparent. The significant increase of citizen journalism has emerged because of the “perceived failings” of the traditional media and because of the fact they are not employed or influenced by corporate or political agendas.

Works Cited:

Fletcher, P. R. (2024, June 17). Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved from Public perspectives on trust in news: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2024/public-perspectives-trust-news

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Continuation: JOURNALISM IN TODAY'S WORLD

Here is an article which is a perfect example of the power of Citizen Journalism:

Chen Qiushi, a former lawyer turned citizen journalist, used social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube to expose the reality of the COVID-19 outbreak, which the Chinese government downplayed at first and limit its coverage.

It created awareness to the world of how China’s handling the pandemic contradicting the Chinese government’s narrative that the virus was under control. Chen’s videos quickly went viral all over the world which forced governments and World Health Organization (WHO) to cover and take the crisis more seriously and aggressively. His work was a proof of China’s lack of transparency that alerted the public of its efforts to suppress information. This proven how technology and social media can empower ordinary citizens to hold powerful institutions accountable.

Works Cited:

Lam, O. (2021, October 4). Global Voices. Retrieved from Chinese citizen journalist held incommunicado after COVID reporting reappears: https://globalvoices.org/2021/10/04/chinese-citizen-journalist-held-incommunicado-after-covid-reporting-reappears/#

News, O. D. (Director). (2020). Coronavirus: Citizen Journalist ‘Disappears’ After Reporting on Virus in Wuhan [Motion Picture].

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JOURNALISM IN TODAY’S WORLD

For Reflective Critique 3, below are the two questions I will answer:

How does citizen journalism challenge traditional media's influence? Give an example from the last 5 years where a citizen journalist has been able to exert power by covering events that may have been overlooked by mainstream media.  

In this era of 'fake news' and 'do your own research', why do people NOT trust traditional media? What is the connection to citizen journalism?  Any examples should be from the last 5 years.

Before we dive into the questions, let us define these terms first:

Journalism and its importance

Citizen Journalism

Traditional Media

Journalism is gathering, analysing, and presenting information to inform and engage the public (Taylor, 2025). So essentially, it is sharing information with accuracy and education.

So why is it important?

Journalism creates awareness. Knowledge is power, being aware of what’s happening around you shapes opinions and decisions you make in regards with communities, societies, and government. It pushes one to develop a deeper understanding of a certain situation or concept. With the right access to consume news, it helps one to evolve by responding to the challenges one faces. As journalism’s purpose is to inform and educate, it will serve as a guidance towards a brighter future as human beings continue to grow.

Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism can be defined as news gathered and reported by everyday citizens (non-journalists) not employed by news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines, broadcast television, and radio. This form of news is often presented through social media platforms (Ogea, 2023).

Traditional Media

Traditional media refers to various forms of mass media communication that existed before the internet. The definition generally includes print media such as newspapers, magazines and books, broadcast media like television and radio, and outdoor advertising in the form of billboards and posters ((PhD), 2024).

HOW CITIZEN JOURNALISM CHALLENGE TRADITIONAL MEDIA’S INFLUENCE

When citizen journalism’s force arose, it raised the question of how the traditional media works on what information they show or share to the public. Traditional media historically holds the flow of information and citizen journalism disrupted that by breaking the norms of gatekeeping “some information.”

Traditional media usually favors stories with political agendas or those aligns with the ratings, which often leads to some information being ignored or overlooked. That’s where citizen journalism comes, they have the power to give voice to those who are unheard of. Thanks to smartphones and social media, people can now capture and share information or events in real time. With citizen journalists delivering raw footage as it bypasses the editorial process of the traditional media, it has put a pressure on traditional media to being transparent and provide an unbiased information to the public.

Works Cited:

(PhD), C. D. (2024, January 24). HelpfulProfessor.com. Retrieved from Traditional Media: 10 Examples and Definition: https://helpfulprofessor.com/traditional-media-examples/

Ogea, M. (2023, November 21). Study.com. Retrieved from Citizen Journalism | Definition, Importance & Examples: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-citizen-journalism-definition-examples.html?msockid=0c7e29a22fed68d9247f3dd72ede6940

Taylor, E. (2025, February 21). The Knowledge Academy. Retrieved from What is Journalism? Understanding the Essence of Journalism: https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/blog/what-is-journalism/

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Continuation: Democratization of the Web

Because we hate discrimination

Another proof that social media has a powerful voice that everyone could hear is the story of Stephanie Lovins, a real state agent who works at Century 21, the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization (Katelaris, 2025, p. para. 5). Stephanie Lovins dined at a Mexican restaurant and made a discriminatory comment about the waiter on her restaurant bill. Rather than placing a tip, she wrote, “ZERO, YOU SUCK… I HOPE TRUMP DEPORTS YOU!!!”

A team member of the restaurant took a photo of that receipt and uploaded it on Facebook — which went viral. Stephanie Lovins denied the allegations, saying her credit card was stolen and someone used it. However, the marketing manager of the said restaurant reviewed the CCTV and confirmed that it was her who wrote the note (Katelaris, 2025, p. para. 9). She then got fired from her job, as the organization stated that they take this kind of situation very seriously and stand against any form of hate.

Works Cited:

Katelaris, E. (2025, March 5). New York Post. Retrieved from Ohio woman fired from job after leaving nasty message on restaurant bill: https://nypost.com/2025/03/05/lifestyle/ohio-woman-fired-from-job-after-leaving-nasty-message-on-restaurant-bill/

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Democratization of the Web

The man who gained fame without speaking a single word

Khabane Lame, or famously known as Khaby Lame, holds the title of the most-followed user on TikTok as of January 2025 (Ceci, 2025). He currently has 163 million followers on TikTok, 81.3 million followers on Instagram and 10 million subscribers on his YouTube channel (Muñiz, 2024, p. para. 5). His life changed during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, from losing his job to becoming a star. He first started uploading a bunch of videos on YouTube, which no one hardly watched (Forbes, 2023).

Then came the year 2020 where TikTok was one of the most downloaded apps (Jeb, 2025), Khaby decided to start making his content there. Not until the year 2021, where he found the right content to share on the platform. His unique style of comedy captured the public’s attention, wherein he records himself reacting to complex “life hacks” videos found on the internet. He mocked and busted the complicated hacks with his exaggerated gestures and facial expressions. Below are few examples of the videos he made (Weaver, 2022):

Apart from the life hack videos, he also created short comedy skits highlighting his expressive reactions without uttering a word — which later became a popular meme. Until it led him to companies asking for partnerships like Hugo Boss, Binance and Middle East bank QNB, Fortnite, and Statefarm (Bertoni, 2023, p. para. 4).

Viral meme examples (Padya, 2021):

How Khaby Lame maintain and grow his fame is driven by several factors (Alarm, 2023, pp. para. 10 - 15):

Consistency – he regularly posts videos, ensuring his followers had fresh content to enjoy.

Authenticity – by remaining true to himself and his unique style.

Relatability – his content is based on real/everyday life situations which makes it easy for everyone to relate.

Engagement – he makes time to engaged with his followers by liking posts and responding to comments

By regular posting and sharing relatable contents, he was able to manage and grow his followers and at the same time, this is his way of engaging to people. Here are few examples:

All the factors given above makes sense as public are drawn to these. It is because most people turn to social media hoping for some entertainment after a long hard day of work. However, in today’s digital world where everyone shares anything and everything, one must explore and try new ideas for a content. Being different than the others sets you apart from the crowd which could help you find your audience. A relatable content always wins as it is easy for everyone to engage to something that they know or experience of. And when you finally found the right content, posting regularly could help you to boost and widen your audience. Lastly, enable to maintain your followers, you must make an engagement towards them. Responding and liking their comments make them feel valued, heard and part of the group.

Indeed, technology makes people lives easier. From our smart home devices or appliances to online shipping and delivery to making it easy to connect to anyone in any part of the world. There is still a lot to mention as to how technology makes our lives convenient. But as for this topic, because of technology there is social media. And social media makes it easier for anyone to connect to as many people worldwide. And because of democratization in the web, anyone has the power to contribute to someone’s fame. Just by following the account, viewing, liking or “reacting”, and/or sharing the post, you could help someone’s post reach a thousand miles. So, there might be a slim chance of him reaching fame without the support of social media. Unless you have connection in the industry, like being part of a family where there’s a celebrity or politician, it would be a heck of ride to get to the top.

Works Cited:

Alarm. (2023, September 7). Medium. Retrieved from From Rags to Riches in 12 Months: The Inspiring Journey of Khaby Lame: https://medium.com/@dima.o.a/from-rags-to-riches-in-12-months-the-inspiring-journey-of-khaby-lame-3f87a0b154b4

Bertoni, S. (2023, September 26). Forbes. Retrieved from How Top Creator Khaby Lame Became TikTok’s Most Popular Influencer: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2023/09/26/how-top-creator-khaby-lame-became-tiktoks-most-popular-influencer/

Ceci, L. (2025, January 15). statista. Retrieved from Most-followed creators on TikTok worldwide as of January 2025: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1078315/most-followers-tiktok-global/

Forbes (Director). (2023). The Million Dollar Mime: How Khaby Lame Became TikTok's Biggest Star [Motion Picture].

Jeb. (2025, February 23). Mac Issues. Retrieved from When Did TikTok Become Popular? A Brief Timeline: https://macissues.com/when-did-tiktok-become-popular/

Muñiz, C. (2024, July 29). Marketing4eCommerce. Retrieved from Who is Khaby Lame: key facts about the most followed tiktoker in the world: https://marketing4ecommerce.net/en/story-of-khaby-lame-the-most-followed-tiktoker-in-the-world/

Padya, R. (2021, November 29). Don't Get Serious. Retrieved from 50+ Funny Khaby Memes That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud: https://dontgetserious.com/khaby-memes/

Weaver, S. (2022, June 24). WKML 95.7 Today's Country. Retrieved from 10 Videos That Helped Make Khaby Lame the King of TikTok: https://wkml.com/listicle/10-videos-that-helped-make-khaby-lame-the-king-of-tiktok/

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Privacy Paradox: Impacts on Identity and Privacy

How does the privacy paradox impact our identity and privacy?

Privacy paradox means indicating concerns about the online privacy however the behaviours or actions do not reflect these fears (Ross, 2022). Sadly, this is true and is still happening in the world today.

So, what is the impact of privacy paradox to our identity and privacy? Answer to this is it has a great and alarming impact. Disclosing your personal details in online services without fully understanding how they use, store and share these information increases risks like data breach or identity theft. Once you shared this information online you already have no control over how it is used. It can be a way for others to track your activities. With the influence of social media apps today, one can feel the pressure of being left out in which they tend to overshare details of themselves in order to be “accepted.” Which if you think about it in a more depth perspective, you are giving away yourself for free to the world. You allow these apps to share the information to others which is supposedly should be private.

Most of the time, it is because of the lack of awareness that people do this mistake. One should be responsible when using online services and how they could protect themselves and the information they just shared. Let’s take Google again for example, Google can track you through your location. So, you can protect yourself from it by turning off the option to share your location (UMATechnology, 2024, pp. para. 3 - 8). Thorough research and understanding of what safety precautions you could do is the solution to minimize the impact of leaking your private information in the online world.

Here are few examples to support the statement above:

This video gives you an informative discussion about privacy paradox and the challenges people face today to protect their private information online against the big tech companies and also gave tips on what we can do to protect our privacy.

The article above explains an example of privacy paradox in social media. It describes that these sites urge one that it is okay to share openly your activities online as they “assure” you that they safekeep your private information.

Works Cited:

Default, P. |. (Director). (2023). The Privacy Paradox | A Proton - YouGov Report [Motion Picture].

Future Society. (2023, July 3). tomorrow.bio. Retrieved from The Privacy Paradox: Why Do People Share Their Data?: https://assets-global.website-files.com/62792c49f89cb381b3affec5/64a2a869432eea5f912d1f19_data.jpg

Ikezuruora, C. (2024, March 25). Privacy End Protecting Digital Rights. Retrieved from Revealing the Hidden Dilemma: Transparency-Privacy Paradox in Social Media: https://www.privacyend.com/transparency-privacy-paradox-social-media/

Ross, C. (2022, April 19). The Canadian Bar Association. Retrieved from The Privacy Paradox: https://www.cba.org/Sections/Privacy-and-Access/Articles/2022/The-privacy-paradox

UMATechnology. (2024, December 25). UMATechnology. Retrieved from 8 Ways Google Can Track You and How to Stop or View It: https://umatechnology.org/8-ways-google-can-track-you-and-how-to-stop-or-view-it/

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Is Privacy Online only an Illusion?

Is Privacy online only an illusion? Why or why not?

Privacy online is more likely to be an illusion than a reality. People ought to think that seeing a Data Privacy Statement guarantees and leads them to trust that this online service protects your private information. But should you rely to it and trust a hundred percent?

If you continuously share information online like posting pictures, sharing your location, for everybody in that network or application to see and read, then there is no privacy. If you come to think of it, there is not much of a difference in the digital universe and the physical world.

Let’s say for example, you are using Google Maps to ask for directions to go to this certain place, did you know that Google tracks and monitors the information you provided when using its application in your device? (Hoffman, 2022, p. para. 10) This is because, as what the company says, that they need to collect this information so that they could improve their service, like helping you by suggesting similar activities or places you should go to wherein they based it on the previous activities or places you ask them to show you (UMATechnology, 2024).

But how can the people be assured that they are only using this information for that purpose? As the technologies nowadays are advancing, comes also with a higher risk of these gathered information to be leaked by hackers. So, what can you do to protect your identity or private information?

Here are few examples to support the statement above:

The article above explains why privacy online is likely to be an illusion. It explains that as of today even if a person takes precaution actions to help maintain his/her privacy, it does not guarantee that one is free of data breach. The article perfectly describes the situation for you to understand what is happening in the online world, how they collect, use and keep the information.

John Miller (The Deliberate Engineer) was a Software Engineer in big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, etc. (just naming a few that he mentioned). He worked on designing, implementing and testing security products (naming a few examples again to describe what he does at work) which makes this video a strong support example as to why privacy online is a myth because the information he had shared was based on direct experience and thorough research. He explained what the companies can do to a collection of data or information that was gathered from you.

Works Cited:

AiHatesYou (2024, April 1). Ai Hates You. Retrieved from The Illusion of Privacy: How AI Is Redrawing Boundaries in the Digital Age: https://aihatesyou.com/uploads/images/202404/image_750x_660b38f62af0d.jpg

Engineer, T. D. (Director). (2023). Internet privacy is an illusion [Motion Picture].

Hoffman, C. (2022, July 26). How To Geek. Retrieved from Online Privacy Is a Myth: What You Can and Can't Do About It?: https://www.howtogeek.com/819686/online-privacy-is-a-myth-what-you-can-and-cant-do-about-it/

UMATechnology. (2024, December 25). UMATechnology. Retrieved from 8 Ways Google Can Track You and How to Stop or View It: https://umatechnology.org/8-ways-google-can-track-you-and-how-to-stop-or-view-it/

Zoltan, M. (2024, July 2). Privacy Affairs. Retrieved from The Illusion of Privacy: Are We Truly Safe Online?: https://www.privacyaffairs.com/the-illusion-of-privacy/