In the beginning pages of "Everybody is a Media Outlet", Shirky says "Profession exists to solve a hard problem." In a world of mass ameturizaton, everyone can be a journalist. But the profession of journalism isn't altogether degraded. Citizen journalists get the story out there, the professional journalist is able to report it accurately with fact checks etc. Shirky also makes the comparison between the professional race car driver and someone who drives a car. Similarly, the everyday car driver can't be expected to win the Indie 5000.
A positive example of mass ameturizaton comes from a chapter Henry Jenkin's Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide titled "Why Heather Can Write." The chapter is about a young girl named Heather who created a spinoff website based on a newspaper called the Daily Prophet from the Harry Potter series. Soon enough, Heather got submissions for her fictitious paper from around the world. Although there could be a number of copyright concerns, Jenkins introduces the concept of Heather's new pedagogy - kids were learning how to read and write from reading and creating fanfiction. Heather, although not a citizen journalist, is also an example of mass Amateurization because she utilized new media (the internet) to publish. Furthermore, Jenkin's believes that this new rise to literacy should transcend problems with copyright infringement, especially towards intellectual property. Not only was a new way of teaching literacy introduced, but consumers began to push out the Harry Potter brand, which is profitable for big wig companies. Heather is but one example of why everyone is a media outlet.
Shirky's "Here Comes Everybody" he says, "...all publications are now part of a conversation"(90). The Television industry, for example, has better interaction between producers and consumers through social media. However, the world of publishing has broadened beyond books, television, radio, newspapers and the like. Heather's story of self publishing is also an example of a broader conversation between herself, contributors, and the world.
It seems as though both Shirky and Jenkin's see eye to eye in regards to the phenomenon of mass ameturizaton. While everyone can part take in publishing, the public's need of the professional journalist will never stop. Perhaps there is room for both the amateur and the professional in the vast, ever expanding mediascape.
However useful, citizen journalists have yet to be held by the same standards of accountability and ethics as the professional. Although there are many citizen journalists, there is still much for them to learn about the craft.
Look at a citizen journalist here
Look at a citizen journalist here
Jenkins, Henry Where Old and New Media Collide
Shirky, Clay Here Comes Everybody
Shirky, Clay Everybody is a Media Outlet
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