ql-align-justify"> One contemporary social practice shaped by new media is citizen journalism, which occurs when ordinary individuals use digital technologies to gather, report, and share news as active citizens. With the widespread availability of smartphones, social media platforms, and online publishing tools, people can now document events, voice opinions, and participate in public discourse without relying solely on traditional news organizations. This practice reflects how everyday media use has transformed citizens from passive consumers of information into active producers of meaning.

Citizen journalism has distinct communicative features. It is multimodal, combining text, images, videos, audio recordings, hashtags, and hyperlinks to communicate messages effectively. It is also interactive and participatory, allowing audiences to comment, share, react, and contribute additional perspectives. Communication in citizen journalism is often immediate and real-time, especially during breaking events, which increases its social impact. However, it is also shaped by local and cultural contexts, as what citizens choose to report reflects their lived experiences, priorities, and community concerns. While social media platforms enhance transparency, accessibility, and inclusion by engaging people who may be excluded from traditional participation, they also raise issues such as misinformation, political bias, unequal access, and digital divides.

These features have important implications for literacies pedagogy. Traditional literacy instruction that focuses only on reading and writing printed texts is no longer sufficient. Learners must develop multiliteracies, including digital literacy, media literacy, and critical literacy. Students need to learn how to evaluate the credibility of sources, recognize bias, verify information, and understand how meaning is shaped through images, language, and platform design. Literacies pedagogy should also encourage ethical participation, responsible content creation, and awareness of the social consequences of sharing information. By integrating practices like citizen journalism into education, teachers can help learners become critical, empowered, and socially responsible participants in contemporary democratic life.

References:

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/12/6635

https://newlearningonline.com/literacies/chapter-3/activity-types-in-literacies-pedagogy

Citizen Journalism as a Social Practice?