Alexa Smith
as526112@ohio.edu
Technology has taken over the world. Not physically; of course robots are not literally ruling nations and their people, but in developed countries, technology is utilized in practically everything that people do. Doctor's use expensive, high-tech equipment to diagnose and treat illnesses. Traffic cameras do the job of traffic cops--for cheaper. And, as I'm composing this blog post, every single person surrounding me is either on their computer, on their smartphone or both. So yes, technology has taken over in so many words. We rely on it because of its convenience, speed and simplicity. Stated bluntly: we're lazy. We no longer are inspired by good old-fashioned values like hard work and effort. There isn't time for it. But our dependence on technology is terrifying, and the more advanced and personalized it gets, it could soon turn on us.
Journalism and What It Means to be a Journalist
Photo via Dictionary.com
"1. the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business... 3. a course of study preparing students for careers in reporting, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines."
Journalism is not just a hobby. Journalism is not what you do when you when you let your followers know what you're thinking about via several forms of social media. Journalism is not simply typing/writing words and publishing them for the world to see.
Journalism is an "occupation," a "course of study" in which one can earn a degree so that they can be paid for their knowledge, skill and expertise. And there is a reason for this: so that the audience knows that the information they are reading is trustworthy. A journalist is a professional of the written and distributed word, someone that has received training to do their job and thus take pride in their work. These informants are certainly not in demand, and their replacement with the global community will inevitably wipe out the entire profession. News is the conversation starter, and journalists are the facilitators of this conversation, so without them, how will we know what to talk about?
Of course news is meant to be talked about. It concerns us, enrages us and fascinates us, that's what it's meant to do. The connection between news publications/channels and social networks allows this conversation to be spread rapidly and discussed amongst the entire online world. People may contribute their opinions and experiences, but these contributions are narrative, not news. It makes the news more interesting, but means very little without a seal of verification. You can't trust everybody, and the news teaches us this.
The Art of Journalism
News doesn't have to be boring. All journalists don't write in the same format of straightforward facts and no oomph. The fun part about being a writer of anything is adding your own flare to a piece, making it worthy of your byline. A journalist often includes himself/herself in the story; it's hard not to when so much time and effort has been invested, especially when the story involves a moral issue or a threat to the public good. Although news is supposed to be subjective and non-biased, passion can sometimes take over, making the piece a bit more real and relatable.
Different news mediums restrict this voice, often modifying the original, lengthly and detailed piece to a concise and clear story that get's to the point as soon as possible. Really, it all depends on what screen or piece of paper you're getting the story from. And too, they're called news stories for a reason: they tell a detailed story of the event. If the reader didn't want the details, they probably would have stopped at the headline. However, many news readers don't have the time for a lengthly story, equipped with quotes, video, photos, etc. Perhaps someday, news stories will have the option to read "the short version" as opposed to the original piece.
News is meant to be shared with as many people as it can reach on this planet, hence the name global journalism. But with a larger and more diverse audience, comes more codes that should be followed. The public interest and relevancy should be priority. Something that has significant public impact is certainly worthy news. Fair justice and good public health are amongst these. When it comes to more target-specific topics such as politics and religion, it is very important to be objective. Because there is so much diversity when it comes to these topics, zeroing in on one point of view could be harmful to the reader as well as the writer.
It's Personal
Technology is designed to make our lives easier, there is no question. Google finds what we were looking for, iTunes tells us what we want to hear--both doing so as fast as possible. But, there comes a point when technology can go too far, crossing the line between easy and absurd. In the article "Let's Start Talking About a Radically Different Future of News," "wearables" and car dashboards that synch with our mobile devices will be the stuff of the future. Let's take a moment to think about how dangerous this could become. Those operating a motor vehicles should not be distracted by so many things, the danger of cell phones is plenty. And even though the car may be self-operating, it shouldn't be, for if there is a miscalculation or shortage of the technology, the vehicle will not be able to react in the same was that a human can.
Wearable devices such as Apple watches and Google glasses take technology to the extreme, as if a computer that fits in our pockets isn't enough. But this is the thing with modern technology, enough is never enough--the software can always be updated or modified and then done so again. It is said that in the near future, news media will progress from "more, bigger and faster to less, customized and as needed." Although this does not seem to be the direction in which we are presently heading, who knows?
The Internet of Things and location tracking are two technological advances that could certainly improve our internet activity, keeping web searches simple, intimate and pertinent. Web users do not enjoy having advertisements forced upon them, presenting themselves on the screen without recognition in the first place. It is so very true that anything on the internet is now public knowledge, and this personalization could become a threat to one's identity and even wellbeing if one does not exercise caution.
Photo via unstrapped.com
It's all very overwhelming: the constant flow of information readily available. If disconnected from the information stream for even a day, there is so much that one could miss. This shouldn't be such an issue, though. It won't do any harm to not be in the loop for just a short while. Instead of reading about somebody else's experiences, you could be making some of your own.
