To populations that enjoy the technological distractions of handheld gizmos and gadgets that reinforce our playful nature, the growth of the social Web (aka Web 2.0) has given them a new playground to enjoy. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others like them are akin to the swingsets, slides and teeter-totters for this new play area--but they also give everyone a voice, enabling them to provide substance and opinions on a variety of issues.
This growth comes just as it did with the original onset of the Web, with explosive and unpredictable results. Conventional publishing and broadcast mediums are becoming edged out by “as it happens” Web reporters and bloggers who are building their own reputations by virtue of their online identities and customizing the content to accommodate (or, alternately, create) niche markets. But many question the reliability of the new sources and the analysis of data. These publishers are everyday non-journalists, so is it just an opinion rather than fact? There is a strong push within the Web community to define contributor credibility and help identify individuals and the merit of what they produce.
What do you think?
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