As some -- such as the Philadelphia Inquirer's Chris Krewson -- quickly observed, this is not exactly a current debate.
But the conversation that followed allowed Holovaty to put a sharper point on his thoughts. He replied in the post's thread:
....I no longer see the point in debating the definition of journalism. I'm interested in building products that improve people's lives via information. Whether somebody calls that "journalism" is utterly uninteresting.
QUESTION: From your perspective, what are some current "products that improve people's lives via information"? Think broadly and don't be constrained by classic definitions of journalism.
Cell phones improve lives in developing countries by allowing users -- through text, audio and video messages -- to exchange information on treatments for illnesses where there are no clinics; access to markets for rural products; job opportunities; natural disasters and rescue efforts; political and cultural events; world news; freebies ... Masses of the young depend on it for flirting, courtship and trading video jokes. In the Philippines, city dwellers use CPs to send money to poor rural relatives. Protesters have used it to monitor and evade movements of military forces, which twice helped topple repressive regimes.
ReplyDeleteThe vast uses of CPs have sparked my interest in citizen journalism. But if CPs are to be harnessed for social movements, how can the uncontrolled multimedia coming through be effectively managed to maximize social benefit and minimize potential damage? Or is this impossible?
The Internet, of course! Although I was only introduced to it 10 years ago, when I had already gone through college without it, I just don't remember how I survived without it! I think everything took so much longer, starting with research. Of course you can't just replace good old research with the Internet, but having access to library online catalogs to find out where the books are (especially if you live in a big city) just saves a lot of time.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about online purchasing? Now with two kids, school and a full time job, I barely have time to go shopping (although I love seeing the actual thing in the store). But again, doing the research in advance saves a lot of time, and when I know what I want, I can go directly to the store. Another very helpful thing about online shopping is buyers' reviews. Although they can be biased and you need to navigate through them, it can save you so much headache to know in advance that the swing set you want for your backyard has fallen apart or rotten away in just one summer.
For my job (I'm a translator) the Internet facilitates so many things. I can look up expressions to find out if they are still current, I can find out if some Spanish words or phrases are widely used or very country- specific, I can check quotations, log onto translation forums and chat with colleagues all over the world about terminology doubts. The very rare days when the Internet is down, I produce less than half of what I do every day. Sad, but true.