I have no idea where journalism is headed. Neither does anyone else. Witness the power of Twitter and Facebook in Iran and it’s clear traditional methods of media crack down will be insufficient worldwide. The democratizing force behind these advancements may be unstoppable, but it leaves me and the rest of the world wondering about the future of media.
Have you seen the video of Neda Agha–Soltan’s death? She was gunned down by the Iranian government militia, called the Basij. The video was posted to Facebook through a web of forwards that got it out of the Iranian clamp down on communication. Now her name, which means voice in Farsi, has become a rallying cry. Twitter, Facebook and Google have been swarmed with searches for her name and views of the video. Journalism has moved from the hands of the reporters to the hands of the people.
YouTube now advertises the latest videos from Iran on what it’s calling CitizenTube. They seem to be acknowledging their roll as part journalist in this fight. And Twitter is appearing on CNN, FOXNews and MSNBC as a source for what’s going on behind closed borders.
In all this, with the newspaper industry having so much trouble, it’s hard to imagine what comes next. Journalism will be around forever, I have no doubt, but the 3.0 version may look much different. What are the funding streams? How will it be broadcast? Who will be the practitioners? I don’t have an answer. I feel like I’m on the first wave about to crash into the shore, and no one knows whether it’s rocks or sand below.
The future has possibilities expanded by technology — Iranians have proven that. Everyone now has to figure out where they lead.