When we discuss the concept of grassroots media, we can find that there are many other expressions that are close to this, such as: self-media, private media, citizen media, independent media, participatory media... Although these concepts have their own The focus is essentially the same as that of grassroots media. The emergence of these new vocabulary is a reflection of the changes in the communication pattern after the popularity of the Internet, especially after the Internet entered the Web 2.0 stage and various new media methods continued to emerge. In terms of the practice of grassroots media, it is difficult to specifically refer to a certain media form or a certain application of online media. In other words, it includes various traditional media forms (such as printed publications, unauthorized underground radio stations, etc.) and various applications of online media. However, the content discussed in this article focuses on the most distinctive grassroots media based on Internet communication today.
Analysis of the concept of grassroots media
The meaning of grassroots media refers to ordinary people using the simple communication tools available locally at that time to create their own communication platform to discuss relevant issues and exchange each other's opinions. viewpoints, express their own voices, and even connect collective power to carry out collective actions. Its important technical feature is that it can construct media that the public can participate in through simple technological means. Today, the easiest means is the application of various technologies and functions of the Internet. The emergence and development of grassroots media is a subversion of traditional mass media news dissemination. It breaks the boundary between "communicator" and "audience" and fundamentally changes the status of audience groups in communication. The establishment of grassroots media, the activity of grassroots journalists and the diversity of grassroots news have brought news dissemination into a new stage. Grassroots media maximizes inclusion, equality and participation. On May 3, 2006, Annan, then Secretary-General of the United Nations, compared "blogs" to "participatory media." He said: "Information is everywhere around us. With the spread of so-called new media, new technologies, and new content, With the proliferation of distribution channels, information has become increasingly diversified, and 'participatory media' such as blogs are becoming a supplement to mainstream media reports. ①
Grassroots media include private media and self-reported media. The characteristics of the media are because individuals have the means of communication, as if they have their own media, and can transmit information to an unspecified majority or a specific group. The emergence of this situation is mainly due to the development of communication technology, especially the rapid development of the Internet, which has enabled the situation of "one person, one media" and "everyone to communicate to everyone". In terms of the use of concepts, grassroots media is closest to citizen media. The concept of citizen media and its application in practice lie in the popularization and deepening of the concept of civil society (Civil Society) today, while grassroots media emphasizes ordinary communication channels and means. People can easily grasp and use it.
In terms of communication theory of grassroots media, the famous representative is the famous American columnist Dan Gillmor. On September 28, 2001, he first proposed the concept of "Journalism 3.0" on his blog, that is: News Media 1.0, which refers to the familiar traditional mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Communication media; News Media 2.0 refers to the fact that after the emergence of the Internet, the form of news presentation has undergone considerable changes. The interface for audiences to receive news has gradually shifted to new technological tools such as computers (Shift). However, at this time, the way news is disseminated Not much has changed, and the model of a few media disseminating news to a majority of audiences is still maintained; News Media 3.0 refers to the peer-to-peer communication method on the Internet, plus the two major methods of sharing and linking. Characteristics have created tools like blogs and countless "grassroots publishers". The audience not only passively and one-way accepts the news "fed" by the media, but can also actively become news disseminators. At the end of 2002, Dan Gilmore finally decided on a new name for his idea: "We Media." He wrote in the January 2003 issue of "Columbia Journalism Review", a famous bimonthly news magazine. published an article titled "News for the Next Generation: Here Comes 'We Media'". In July 2004, his book "We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People" was released. In March 2005, the traditional Chinese version of "We the Media" was published in Taiwan, with the title translated as "Grassroots Media - Blog Legend" (Note: Taiwan translates Blog as "Blog"). The preface to the book reads: "Thanks to the Internet, media groups can no longer monopolize news. Emerging grassroots journalists have the power to serve. It has become possible to broadcast news to the global audience in real time. With laptops, mobile phones, and With digital cameras, readers become journalists, and they change the form of news from a speech to a dialogue.
” ② In August 2005, “We the Media” was translated into Japanese and published, and the title was translated as “Blog—Personal Media that Changes the World.”
Characteristics of grassroots media
1. Grassroots media is media that everyone can participate