Vancouver 2010 Olympics: bring on the citizen journalism
The 2010 Vancouver Olympics have been quite an experience so far for No Code Nicole (that’s me!). One of my favorite parts of living in this city during the 2010 Olympics has been the experience of getting to see the locally created interactive media displays, the colorful graphic designs plastering the city everywhere you look, and all of the tech nerd stuff that has been set up all over town (there are giant T.V. projections on every surface that you rest your eyes on). The tech crews that set up this city did a great job – I can’t even imagine the hours that they must have put in.
First Expo 86, now the 2010 Olympics, Science World is the place to be!
But one of the things that has stood out to me the most is the fact that with the mass influx of people into this city has also come a mass influx of iPhones, Blackberries, digital cameras, HD Flip video recorders etc. Everywhere you look someone is pressing the shutter on a digital camera, or shooting a video that will be up on You Tube in a matter of minutes.
Citizen Journalists pack the stairs at the Vancouver Art Gallery
We all know that only certain officials are allowed to broadcast about the games, but the citizens and visitors in this city have all become “citizen journalists” in their own right (at least it seems like we can give everyone that title according to wikipedia). I am sure that each Olympic event that happens in the new millennium will experience this to a higher extent as technology advances and mobile devices, personal cameras and video recorders become more and more sophisticated. The Internet is flooded with photos being posted on Flicker and Facebook accounts. You Tube is full of little videos and snap shots of the city, the events (both entertainment and sports events) probably get equal coverage from the citizens. Duder is not alone with his posts on the Olympic streets of Vancouver, he is just one of many citizens talking about his experiences, providing others with a window into the 2010 Olympics.
Everyone has a camera and they are prepared to use it @ the 2010 Olympics
All of this is made easier by the fact that we have iPhones that take videos and applications that can post those videos to Twitter and You Tube as soon as you shoot them. Amazing how mobile devices, the Internet, and social media make the world such an accessible place for everyone to share each others experiences.
Everywhere I look, I see our local and visiting citizen journalists documenting everything… and even though I live here – I am still curious to see all the pictures and videos every time I log onto Facebook or surf videos on You Tube.
2010 Olympic Banners
In the Interactive Design program at Capilano University that I have been a part of for the past 2 years, we have done some video editing and then loaded our stuff up onto You Tube. I do quick and dirty edits with iMovie and get projects up online with relatively little hassle. Now all I need is an iPhone, then I will be well on the road to becoming a Citizen Journalist!
Go Canada!
Nice summary of the self-media influx … which leaves me questioning if anyone is experiencing the Olympicon at all, or only experiencing their attempt to digitize it.
“Now all I need is an iPhone, then I will be well on the road to becoming a Citizen Journalist!”
I think would-be “citizen journalists” need more training in journalism – including language, questions, grammar, verification, basis of fact & story – than more advertising for popular consumer technology
best/ tV
tV, I am quite sure you are right! This post was only meant to be a summary of my impressions of the Olympics and peoples interactions with their mobile devices and digital cameras.
My post was inspired by some reading that I did on wikipedia.
“Mark Glaser, a freelance journalist who frequently writes on new media issues, said in 2006:[4]
The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others. For example, you might write about a city council meeting on your blog or in an online forum. Or you could fact-check a newspaper article from the mainstream media and point out factual errors or bias on your blog. Or you might snap a digital photo of a newsworthy event happening in your town and post it online. Or you might videotape a similar event and post it on a site such as YouTube.”
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