Audiences: Producers of New Media

User-Generated Content

In general, UGC can be defined as content, made publicly available on the Internet, that is created outside professional routines and practices, often by nonprofessionals. UGC comes in many forms that have largely grown out of social media—those online tools that allow users to interact with other users in a variety of multimedia formats. Hence, UGC includes commentary on others' content as well as one's own content. In general, UGC can be understood by the amount of interactivity that the particular medium allows. For example, some UGC is controlled by mainstream news organizations, whereas other UGC is self-generated. Research on UGC examines the influence of UGC both on the business models of traditional media organizations and on social issues such as privacy and surveillance.

In 2006, UGC gained public recognition when Time magazine named the person of the year “You.” This symbolic gesture was intended to draw attention to the public's important contribution to Internet content and to raise significant issues regarding the public domain. Social media applications, such as blogs and Twitter, allow audiences to create multimedia material in which they can comment on social issues. Additionally, the availability [Page 7]of smart phones, which allow users to access the Internet from a mobile device, has led to the proliferation of UGC. The inexpensive cost of communication technologies, such as digital cameras, reduces barriers to entry for those individuals who want to contribute content online.

Many scholars argue that it is important to question the assumptions behind the idea that UGC is a radically new concept. In the mid-20th century, scholars such as Marshall McLuhan and Charlotte Brunsdon challenged the notion that audiences are merely passive receivers of information. Several scholars point out that there is a long history of audiences actively creating content. For example, for decades alternative media, such as zines, have been printed and distributed outside mainstream media outlets. Additionally, reality television programs, which encourage audience participation in the construction of media content, have existed since the early days of television in the form of talent shows, game shows, and “candid camera” shows.

Citizen Journalism

One example of UGC is citizen journalism. Citizen journalism refers to the participation of citizens in the production of news stories. The goal of citizen journalism is to encourage citizens without professional training in journalistic practices to create, distribute, and check the facts of news stories. Although citizen journalism has been a tradition in the United States, new online tools make it easier to self-publish and have led to the proliferation of this use of media.

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