Learner Response

Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments

Learner Response: re-write paragraph on citizen journalism

Furthermore, technology allows anyone with a camera phone to be empowered. This enables people to be a citizen journalist in their own right. A prominent way this is shown is through the police brutality which has most recently taken place, the Michael Brown Ferguson incident is particular. The incident was recorded by a bystander, which clearly shows an unarmed 18-year old being harassed and beaten by police, ultimately led to his death. This footage was leaked onto the internet. This caused uproar instantly on social media and protests began to demonstrate how police brutality will not be accepted in the States. Social media sites, such as Instagram and Twitter played a role is demonstrating how police brutality is an urgent issue which needs to be addressed. For instance, the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter" was trending worldwide on all social media sites to raise awareness about the issue. This encouraged audiences to challenge authority and question if black lives really do matter. This caused moral panic and became a massive issue only because of the video evidence which surfaced. If the bystander didn't record the beating then authority (such as the police) wouldn't be questioned. The power of the camera phone illustrates how evidence of a police beating can spark violence as protesters returned to the riot-scarred streets of Ferguson, a day after crowds looted businesses and set fire to buildings in a night of rage against a grand jury's decision not to indict the white police officer who killed Michael Brown. As a result, the bystander was arrested and proves how powerful citizen journalism is because the bystander himself was clearly innocent and harmless. However, from the perspective of the police, the definitely despised the fact that the bystander recorded this footage and made this issue of racism more known. The power of camera phones allows audiences to be empowered as they can record an incident and make it a public issue.