Citizen journalism is a new thing that has risen out of the Web 2.0 era. It is a way for people to informally report for others to see. Sometimes this kind of reporting can be seen as reliable and trustworthy, and sometimes not, but it all depends on the source on information and the content that is being written about.
The era of information sharing is in full effect, especially with millennials and young people who love the internet and social media. People love to share what they are doing with others, whether it is relevant or not. More importantly, people love to share their opinions. Citizen journalism is a great way for people to voice their opinions to the world in hopes that someone will listen and take their thoughts into account.
One sector where this is really prevalent is in the tourism industry. Once someone has experienced something, whether at their hotel or at a restaurant, people love to share their thoughts about it. There is a saying that goes something like, if someone have something good to say they will tell one person, but if they have something bad to say, they will tell 10. A statement by Inc.com summarizes it very well.
A customer who has a negative experience is highly likely to share that experience by leaving a bad review. A customer who has a positive experience, on the other hand, is unlikely to leave a good review. In my experience, only one in 10 happy customers leaves a good review
In my personal experience, I find this very true. Every time I have had a good experience I might share it, but it is not worth sharing because I expect good experiences. On the contrary, every time I have a terrible experience I want to tell everyone because it was shocking to me and I don’t want others to go there anymore. While I never tend to use sites to review places, below you can find my 1 star review of a restaurant because I was so pissed at their service and product.
This form of citizen journalism is helpful when I go to book my weekend trips. Since you cannot always rely on what a website says, it feels more personal to hear the opinions of others who have partaken in the experience you are about to book. This past weekend I went to Dublin, Ireland and before I booked my sleeping accommodations, I went to TripAdvisor to see some reviews. Below you can find some of the reviews I looked at, some good and some bad.
When it comes to citizen journalism, you can’t believe it all. With these reviews, it is important to take into account which accounts are reliable. While some rate the Abbey Court Hostel 5 stars, and others rate it 1 star, it is essential that a traveler understands that these are person takes on an establishment.
While researching my trip, it was also important to research other aspects. Another thing I looked into was things to do in Dublin while I was there. One tool I found very helpful in this research process was Quora Digest. This website was filled with peoples opinions and suggestions on the best things to do in Dublin. Below you can find some of the most helpful responses.
While most forms of citizen journalism need to be taken with a grain of salt, it is helpful to have access to the reporting’s and opinion’s of others. Without this type of journalism, it could be hard to make travel decisions because you would have no form of reliable commentary.
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