Hi everyone,

I have recently been surfing the net for blogs I personally find interesting and useful. It has been an eye opening experience and I've realized that the possibilities are endless- literally!

I've learned that citizen media may very well become the new way of the world. Mass media has reared it ugly head so many times in recent news that it is difficult to find continuity in one source, and even more difficult to trust. Bias in the media exists everywhere, but at least with citizen media we know what we are getting ourselves into and can enter the experience with open and critical minds.

I stumbled upon a page called Youth Service America on servicewire.com while surfing the net not too long ago. This page talks about all new and old forms of citizen media tools which are available online and help people get their message out. Twitter, Antsa and Koloina were tools which I didn't know much about- and still don't really, but have come to see that they are interesting ways to stay connected. The mobile phone update concept is intriguing to me, but I'm not entirely sure I am 100% behind the idea. Twitter seems like a great tool for those who are comfortable with others knowing their every move, I'm not quite sure something like this is for me. After reading more on the YSA site, I was introduced to some young people who had been commenting on these online tools, writing of their positive experiences and goals they wanted to reach through this type of citizen media. One young person suggested that:

"One of our priorities was to bring more and more news from the provinces. Not only because of the very little place they take on mainstream media but also to share to the world the cultural diversity and great potentials of each regions" (Patrick).

This is exactly what I think is the key behind citizen media, to get your word out and encourage others to do the same. Although a service such as Twitter may not necessarily be for me, I think it is important for those who find it useful to use it to it's maximum potential. Another young girl commented on her personal situation from Majunga. Her region had just experienced riots due to war and she used this site and other tools to get her word out for others to help and to understand what was happening from a young person's standpoint. Not only did she tell her story online, she also went to the streets and conducted interviews with people sharing her experience. This is such a courageous person who risks her safety and well being just to ensure that others can get a grasp of this horrendous situation. It is still difficult for me to wrap my brain around her story and truly feeling it would be impossible, but hearing it from her was one hundred times more meaningful than if I'd heard it through and actual news report.

After reading up on and hearing stories from young people who are using different online tools to reach others and affect the world, I am finally starting to see what citizen media means. It is a new world of communication. I cannot wait to find more stories such as the one of this young woman and learn about others without a middleman.

Until next time
MS86