Grassroots Grow

With a rising trend toward constant participation in an online space, alternative media sites such as Independent Media Centre http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml and Alternet

http://www.alternet.org/ provide an alternative story and alternative voice than that perpetuated by the mainstream media. The distinction between the way a mainstream media site and an alternative media site tells a story is crystal clear. Mainstream sites will often spin a story in favor of a corporation while the alternative site will provide a voice from everyday citizens and people a part of an activist group or community. As Forde, Foxwell and Meadows propose, "though the lens of the local, that is, that we should consider alternative journalism as a 'process of cultural empowerment... where content production is not necessisarly the prime purpose, and what may be as important (or more) are the ways in which community media outlets facilitate the process of community organization"

I strongly believe that the rise in alternative news sites is a positive trend as those individuals who are committed to social change can take action through alternative sites. Even though this event took place in 1999, it is still one of the most prominent events which demonstrated the strength of globalization and alternative media. The event I am referring to is "The Battle of Seattle." This occurred when thousands of people from all across the country acted together by protesting and shut down the World Trade Organization talks in Seattle. This was a massive movement and fight against corporate globalization. A significant amount of the preparation for these protests and collaboration of citizens was done through sites such as indymedia and alternet. Take a look at this article found on indymedia, it includes numerous hyperlinks to other discussions of alternative voices on the issue of the battle in Seattle.http://publish.indymedia.org/en/2004/12/815172.shtml. This is interesting because people are still discussing the events on alternative sites where public expression is valued.

The mainstream media took this story and turned it into a "hollywood hit," the film used real footage of the protesters involved in the movement. Without the alternative media and active citizens, mainstream media wouldn't have had the accurate footage to make a successful film.I believe a story is never fairly evaluated unless you hear both sides. Mainstream media and alternative media indeed feed off each other. That being said, alternative media is invaluable.

Until next time,

The Active Citizen

Citizen Media Take Action on Haiti Crisis

The recent earthquake that hit Haiti has been extremely detrimental, as many Haitian people lost loved ones and have been left stranded with little food, water and any means of shelter. My initial reaction to the news of the earthquake was an overwhelming feeling of sorrow, and concern for those who have lost everything and are in dire need of aid.

I initially found out about the earthquake on the television, however, I became more and more aware of details through active citizens taking on a powerful role in the public sphere. I find it very fascinating to take a look at the powerful role of the internet and technology as a medium for citizens to communicate and become active about things they believe in. The internet and more specifically the social networking site Facebook prove to be effective in collaborating large groups of people to raise awareness and a voice about a cause or passion.

I found out a great deal of helpful information on the earthquake in Haiti through Facebook. A student at Western University created a group called "How You Can Help Haiti: For Students." This group reaches out to students and suggests that while we do not have a great deal of disposable income, five dollars can go a long way to help those in Haiti. I was really touched when I was invited to join this group, as it started with a student reaching out to students from all University networks in order to raise awareness of the devastating earthquake, and provided a way for students to learn how they could help. The process is extremely simple, by texting in to the number provided you can send money to aid the people in Haiti. If you are interested take a look at this Facebook group, it is open to the public.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=408680980455&ref=nf

In addition, you may also take a look at the link at the Salvation Army website, which verifies your text to donate five dollars to the Haiti. Simply by Texting 'Hait' to 45678, you can donate five dollars to the Salvation Army Earthquake Relief

http://www.salvationarmy.ca/textdonations/

It is important to note that in today's society where so many people are active on the web and through other forms of technology, the public sphere has greatly expanded by participartory citizens with expression. This Facebook group demonstrates a student bringing together hundred's of other students within the public sphere, allowing the public to participate and support a cause of tragedy by coming together and spreading the awareness of this group through Facebook. I think the reason why the public sphere and citizen media is so active is because of the rise of internet and ones access to internet. I believe that citizen media is extremely effective on social networking sites like Facebook because so many people have access to Facebook all over the globe, on cell phones and laptops. This Facebook group for helping Haiti has 503 members and will continue to grow as people share this link like I am doing with you. In addition, browsing through Facebook you can also find numerous other groups who have the same goal in mind, helping Haiti.

In addition to social networking sites within the public sphere. I find it also interesting to note the role of technology, specifically Black Berry Messenger (BBM). Another way I was quickly informed about ways to help Haiti was through a Black Berry Message I received from a friend of mine. The message read "Blackberry has decided to donate 35 cents to helping the Haiti relief fund every time this message is passed on." As an active user of BBM, I was delighted to receive this message and instantly passed it on to those on my contact list. This is yet another example of how an active citizen can participate in the public sphere, and collaborate with others to provide aid for this terrible tragedy. This participation through BBM and texting allows individuals to speak to one another in the public sphere, share messages of the same interest, and develop a plan for action.

I would like to conclude by saying that the more participation we see from citizen media is so crucial to making a difference in the public sphere. If nobody participated and took action, we would loose our public sphere, and we would loose a place to take action outside of the mainstream media. Utilizing the Web 2.0 is such a powerful device for the active citizen today. Social networking sites like Facebook allow us to post links that show us where we can donate money, post pictures to show who is in need of aid, and post comments about the details of a tragedy like the Haiti Earthquake for example. In addition, utilizing forms of technology such as spreading the word for the need of assistance through texting and BBM is extremely effective as this day in age a strong population of people are active on these devices. Finally, an increasing amount of people have access to the internet through their cell phones, so taking initiative to participate in spreading your voice on the web whether it be blogging or 'Facebooking' is extremely important. So participate, be active, and spread your voice throughout the public sphere. After all, if we don't act, who will?

Until next time,

The Active Citizen