Bite-sized technological devices such as smartphones and Android tablets hold the power to communicate in real time across the planet, making them significant tools to help shape the news.
Just examine the current Occupy Gezi protests in Turkey, which The Huffington Post reports are reliant on social media and smartphones to help spread the word. Anyone with a smartphone can shape the news world by becoming a citizen reporter.
People standing in the middle of the Turkey conflict are Tweeting the news out to the world on their smartphones. That may not be for you, but maybe you could see yourself Tweeting a review while sitting in the middle of a concert or soccer match.
With that power comes some challenges. The Washington Post talks about the loss of privacy that people have experienced since 9/11 and the growth of social networks and smartphone techn ology. It is true that once a text message or Facebook post leaves your hands, the whole world can see it, but you have the power to control the messages you put out there. If your goal is to help others learn about the world around you, social networks provide great avenues for doing so.
To help you harness this new power of citizen reporting through social media in your pocket, make sure you have the right apps on your phone. Here are some of the biggies.
Photo of someone using their phone by digitaljournal.com via Flickr
Facebook and Twitter
You already use these social networks on a desktop PC or Mac, or even on your laptop. But youre now in the world of spontaneous posts. Look around you right now, and ask yourself, What would be interesting to post from this place and this moment?
Take a photo, post and share it immediately. Instagram is more than an online photo album. It provides a way to capture important images and share them before they become stale — or before someone else posts a similar image first.
Bump
Youre traveling with a group of friends, and you snap a once-in-a-lifetime photo. Everyone says, Send me a copy of that! With the Bump app, you just touch two phones together to share photos, videos and other types of files.
This is a relative newcomer to social media but is quickly growing. Create pages to hold a collection of images and information related to a current interest. Share those pages, and watch as people connect with your same interests.
What are your favorite mobile social media apps to share news with? Tell us in the comments.
