What is "citizen media?"
The
term "citizen media," as we use it, refers to media that is
created, distributed, and/or marketed outside of the immediate
influence of big media corporations, government, and other powerful
institutions. There are many shades of gray between pure citizen
media and pure "big media," but in general, citizen media tends to
be created by individuals working independently, in informal groups, or
from within small businesses or nonprofits. Creative and editorial
control is held much closer to the ground in citizen media, as
decisions about the content tend to be made by the artists themselves
rather than through bureaucratic chain-of-command systems within large
institutions. Citizen media tends to be more unique and diverse
than media made from within "Big Media" institutions, and is less
likely to operate in an environment of hypercommercialism.
What's a "citizen media-maker?"
A "citizen media-maker" is any sort of artist or communicator who operates predominantly outside of the influence of big media companies. A
citizen media-maker can be rich or poor, liberal or conservative, young
or old -- there is no ideological or demographic prerequisites to
engage in citizen media.
It is very important that we
not confuse the term "citizen media-maker" with "amateur media-maker." Although a great many citizen media-makers are novices, experienced media professionals tend to be the ones on the
cutting edge of citizen media. An example of this would be an award-winning investigative reporter who starts his own news website to publish stories he believes are not properly covered in the mainstream.
Citizen media-makers are independent media-makers.
They can be illustrators, journalists, talk show hosts,
dancers, videobloggers, sculptors, novelists, drummers, etc., so long
as they're not letting big media companies or other powerful interests
call the shots over
what they create or how it's distributed. The creations of citizen
media-makers make our mediascape much richer, the artistic
frontier much more vibrant, and our public dialogue much more diverse, open, and free.
Indeed,
the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was crafted in part to
specifically protect and encourage citizen media-makers like Tom Paine
and other pamphleteers whose writings helped inspire the birth of this
nation. America was born from citizen media, and in this age when
almost all traditional media outlets are owned and controlled by one of
only a half dozen giant powerful companies, it is critical that we return to our roots and bring on an independent media renaissance.
