Of course, our current world is dominated by the rise of technology. Within technology, there is social media and instant access to news that we’ve never had before. The rise of multimedia within journalism is something that is good, but also bad, but moreover, good.
Most people today cannot live without the constant checking of social media. There is even a new study that shows how people fear being away from their phones. Many believe that this is a bad thing, which it can be. Of course, some may say that people don’t know the meaning behind meeting face to face or going out to get what they need. But I say this: people need to seek information. Even though it may be the information about their cousin’s foot fungus on Facebook, it’s still a means of accessing information.
An art all about the people must adapt along with the people it works for. This is how news and journalism organizations are adapting. They are giving people the easiest access to news they’ve ever had. This way, the people are getting the news even with a cancelled subscription to the newspaper. Multimedia Journalism is quickly becoming the most important tool in the entire stratosphere that is journalism.
To me, as a current student of journalism, I think this is the most interesting area to study. When one studies multimedia journalism, they are tapping into the world that is around them right now and observing how it is operating. The internet and social media dominate peoples everyday lives; so how can we as journalists work with that? Well, the answer is simple, by giving the people exactly what they want. A great story, that has great visuals and great reason, can go mobile or viral and can be seen by more people than it would have in print.
I use social media and YouTube to my advantage when I want to relay a message as well. Currently on YouTube under the username davmac123456789, I post weekly Vlogs talking about “Nerd News”. This can be anything from video gaming, to movies, to comic books, etc. I certainly have an audience because I promote myself through Twitter and Facebook. I take responsibility for my work because it’s what I love to do. Journalists everywhere should feel the same way. Although times are adapting and the medium of journalism has changed, do what you love to do. If you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.
~DS
The Danny Diaries 