Shirky and Mass Amateurization

Clay Shirky's coinage of the term "mass amateurization" comes at a very key time in the history of media and communication. Mass amateurization, as explained by Shirky in “Everyone is a Media Outlet”, refers to the phenomenon that occurs when scarcity and barriers to entry are removed (or lessened) from a previously only-professional field. These barriers being lifted makes it easier for “commoners” to spread information in a way that was previously impossible.

In photography, every person being able to acquire a digital camera and publish those photographs through the Internet and Web does not make every person a professional photographer -- on the contrary, it simply opens up the field to amateurs. In journalism and reporting, every person (with a modem) being able to publish blogs and essentially "news stories" on the Web does not make every person a journalist - it opens up the field of journalism to ambiguity.

I don't think Shirky suggests that the end of the journalist's profession is near. While he acknowledges that the separating lines are becoming harder to distinguish, accomplished professional journalists will still be identifiable, while amateurs can now try their own hands.

I agree with Shirky wholeheartedly. Firstly, I doubt that journalists are going to be made obsolete any time soon. I personally follow many online political blogs - most run by amateurs - and find their insights and commentary very interesting (as do the thousands of other readers that they have)...but their commentary is still based off of news found on the New York Times or other acclaimed news sources. If we didn't have actual news stories from sources we trusted, then there would be nothing to discuss. Citizen journalism is most useful when applied to breaking news or emergency events happening somewhere traditional reporters and journalists cannot reach immediately. As for news having to do with things like new legislation being put into effect, or pre-organized protests or speeches, we need traditional journalism.

Also, official news sources help readers learn more about an issue, whereas most amateur writing (see: commentary) is simply a way to ignite a discussion (at least in my experience). For example, when the Neda Agha Soltan video was going viral, I (and countless others, I'm sure) took that as the spark and began to look up articles published by traditional sources for more information. We need citizen journalism so nothing goes unreported or suppressed regardless of location, regime or access, and we need established and trusted journalism to put those things in context for us.

An example of mass amateurization gone off track that demonstrates the need for traditional media (as a regulator of some sort) was Amina Arraf – better known by her blog title “A Gay Girl in Damascus” (which used to be here but has been removed). Earlier this year, as people in Syria were revolting and protesting, word about Arraf’s blog began to spread thanks to the Web and soon, she had countless readers praising her courage in being an openly lesbian woman in a Syria caught in turmoil. And not just that – Arraf’s poetic writing also spoke out against the regime. Arraf’s writing represented the voice for Syrians in general, but also the voice of marginalized gay Syrians, living in a dangerously rigid society.

On June 6^th, a post on the blog made by Arraf’s cousin stated that Arraf had been kidnapped (presumably by order of the government). The news erupted around the world, especially in the U.S., with LGBT rights organizations speaking out for Arraf and demanding her release. Stories like this were top hits for a quite a few days….until everything fell apart.

After thorough investigations, it was found that the blog was actually written by an American named Tom MacMaster – there was no one named Amina Arraf, and there had been no kidnapping. While the details of this specific story alone are very interesting (along with MacMaster’s explanation for why and when he created the character), the story is illustrative of how the idea of anyone being able to publish and the speed at which this published work goes viral can both be good and bad. The truth is that most people do not take the time to verify information on the Web – “if it looks like it’s in article-format, it’s probably legitimate.”

“Arraf’s” story was propelled into the traditional media realm by bloggers on the Internet and finally the truth was discovered. The point is that, like anything else, mass amateurization has its fallbacks. Traditional reporting and journalism can adapt a new, and just as essential, role of filling in these loopholes.

Will the real Slim Shady Amina Arraf please stand up? Tom MacMaster (above), who created the character of Arraf.

Source:

Shirky, Clay "Everyone is a Media Outlet." Here Comes Everybody: the Power of Organizing without Organizations. New York, 2008.

Photo: Courtesy of Washington Post Here