Mobile Citizen Journalism Explodes in India
As of January 2008, there were 241 million mobile phones in India and every month 7.8 million new mobiles are bought. At the same time there are only 10 million citizens in India with a land based internet connection.
The explosion of mobile technology has lead to roving citizen journalists using their cell phones not just for talking, but for reporting.
As this blog post at journalism.co.uk points out, it not the large established newspapers or TV stations of India that are using this technology to their benefit. Instead it is the new media upstarts like: smsgupshup, vakow, ActivMobs, and MyToday MOBS.
“Despite the range of voices, languages and the obvious thirst for citizen journalism no large newspaper has yet opened up a unique platform take advantage of the potential for citizen journalists in India. Big papers flash mobile numbers and email addresses where readers can send in stories but they take their interaction with the readers no further.”
It seems that all around the world, citizen journalism continues to show its strength, and just like elsewhere, established media outlets are falling behind the times and struggling to respond to this growing trend.
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