Cyberjournalism: a (re-)definition

“Cyberjournalism.”  It’s a term rarely used in journalistic and academic parlance, but one I’d like to promote as the world’s first ever International Cyberjournalism Congress approaches (click the link to go directly to the ICC website; click the image above to read Javier Díaz Noci’s post on the event).

“I don’t get it,” you say.  “What the heck is ‘cyberjournalism’ and how is it distinct from ‘online’ or internet-based reporting?”  The answer isn’t so much that “cyberjournalism” is distinct from online journalism as much as online journalism falls within its rubric.  “Cyberjournalism” is a re-definition, a new category and lens through which we may come to understand the evolution of reporting in computerized mediums.

In other words, all forms of computerized journalism qualify as “cyberjournalism.”  That includes…

• “online” or “digital,” the most famous medium of which is the ubiquitous blog and its many variations (journalistic, contemplative, artistic, literary, and whatever else the heart desires), but also e-zines and online forums, as well as the online wings of “physical” news services (and vice versa, e.g., Slate.com);
• networked forms of reporting, such as e-mail listservs, text message alerts and newsletters, and even many kinds of communications that occur within closed intranet systems like Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft X-Box, or the United States Department of Defense; and,
• alternate or virtual reality, such as Wirtland (e.g., The Times of Wirtland) or Second Life (e.g., New World Notes and the AvaStar).

But what of content?  Like their counterparts in the “old media” of print and broadcast journalism, the varieties of cyberjournalism are reciprocally influenced by the new cybernetic modes of expression.  Cyberjournalists are not constrained to report on matters wholly “RL” (“real life”); they can and do report upon matters wholly “VR,” as well.  For examples of what I mean, click on the various links above.

A successful lecture, a new LinkedIn group, and a new look

I’m pleased to report that my lecture, “Log on, tune in, blog out: citizen-journalism, New Media, and subversive activity,” presented at Saint Joseph’s University, was well-received.  I’ve made it available for download in four parts (click on the thumbnail to the left).  I invite academics and journalists, as well as friends and readers, to make use of it and pass it around!

The lecture is a general survey of the darker side of Web 2.0-enabled New Media.  In particular, I explore some of its frightfully hilarious/hilariously frightful uses by subversive and revolutionary groups on the fringes of contemporary global society.  My case studies:

• the French National Front on Second Life;
• the Stormfront White Nationalist Community;
• the global anticapitalism movement (specifically, the IndyMedia Network);
• radical Islamism (specifically, AqsaTube);
• and the Second Life Liberation Army.

I lightly get into some of the theoretical issues, in particular the nature of New Media and today’s internet, and the role culture plays in determining the extent to which a subversive or revolutionary organization goes “high tech.”

The lecture is decidely “low tech,” intended for non-specialists and all-around end-users.  However, it may also be of value to those with technical or journalistic backgrounds who may not be aware of the various fringe subcultures forming around the new technology.

(Cautiously) optimistic for America’s future

A World Series win in Philadelphia and the United States’ first Black president — wow.  WOW. Okay, Schwartzy, take a breath.

“How do you feel?” a close friend asked me this morning.  “Cautiously optimistic,” I replied, to which he remarked: “I think that’s the best thing intelligent people who are not quick to fire can feel right now.”

Preparing a lecture

I’m pleased to announce that I will be presenting a lecture to Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia on the happy topic of revolutionaries and online new media (click on the photo of the school to see a copy of the advertisement).  I owe the honor to Dr. Sabrina DeTurk, Associate Dean of Graduate Arts and Sciences Studies at SJU, and to the university’s Graduate Criminal Justice Program.