Abstract:

With the integration of new communication technologies to our life, just as has been the case in different domains, the new approach to journalism initiated certain changes in the areas of news production, information acquisition and dissemination. Citizen journaling practices have developed through being transformed with changes and still keep going further. Hence this is a descriptive study that analyzes the ways the Internet and extensive area of communication can offer to the new information channels for the development of citizen journalism and as a consequence of this shift, the changes witnessed in the concept of “gate-keeping” and “circle of silence” that are the hallmarks of traditional media structuring. From that perspective, this study aims to explain the hypothesis that the concept of “gate-keeping” and “circle of silence” theory that were the hallmarks in traditional media structuring became weakened with the new application areas in citizen journaling. In particular, citizen journalism practices in social media have been brought to forefront in this study. It has been concluded that novel media domains having emerged in line with new communication technologies created quite a resourceful field to empower citizen journalism. Gate-keeping as one component of traditional media structure is getting weaker due to alternative communication channels and the new identity of citizens as the very source and producer of the news itself. Likewise, as regards circle of silence concept, since the minorities can speak out loud and non-mediatic issues can still be made news by citizens who are news producers, this circle also got comparatively weaker now.

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