Srinagar, Dec 23: The rising trend of citizen journalism has completely transformed the way social media acts as a news outlet. Common citizens are now participating responsibly in reporting news as it happens. This trend has resulted in increased dissemination of news and varied storylines but at the same time, it has amplified concerns about reliability and accountability.

Social media has been characterized by an increase in citizen journalism. The pictures, videos, and reports from citizens on social media sites have the capacity to be the initiators of information for people.
The speed associated with news dissemination has impacted the public trust in the news as there is no editor to review the information before it is released into the public domain.
Madeeha, a postgraduate student of Central University, said the credibility of the media has weakened due to unchecked content circulation.
According to her, the news coming on social media is either without confirmation or context.
She said the news previously was going through editorial scrutiny but today information is being uploaded in just seconds without verification.
In politically sensitive areas, the effects of citizen journalism are rendered even more complex. The unauthenticated reports appearing online tend to affect the moods and perceptions of the public at a rapid pace.
Taha, who holds a master’s degree from Kashmir University, emphasized that the sheer amount of information that appears on social networking sites tends to confuse the readers.
“The rush to be the first to post tends to lead to sensationalization, where interaction or response rates are valued over accuracy, creating confusion between reporting and personal opinions,” he said.
Another critical area of discussion related to citizen journalism is its significance in relation to participation in the media.
According to supporters of citizen journalism, it has brought democratization of the news production process by making the audience the news producers as well.
Giving a more positive view on the subject, Kaiser, who is studying journalism, said, "There are a number of benefits of citizen journalism and it can definitely be used responsibly.” "It gives the common man a voice against injustices and brings an end to the monopoly of large media organizations."
Claiming that citizen journalism has promoted transparency and accountability, Kaiser cited examples of cases involving corruption, violence, and abuse of power, which have reached public attention through videos shot by citizens, published through social media networks.
He argued that through citizen journalism, authorities are forced to make public responses to these issues, thus proving that citizen journalism has the capability of fortifying democracy instead of undermining it.
Despite all these benefits, the problem of misinformation is also a central part of the process. The nature of online media, especially the use of algorithms, entails that users share
whatever can "go viral."
According to Madeeha, the audience also has a role to play. “The viewers must train themselves in critical thinking and not blindly accept a piece of information just because it appears on the web."
The emergence of citizen journalism had an impact on the way mainstream media operates.
The mainstream media depends on user-generated content to be able to compete in the
modern digital age. The problem with this is that it raises issues with ethics.
According to Shoaib, senior correspondent for a news channel, the impact of social media has dramatically impacted how audiences consume news but has in no way replaced the traditional news broadcast service of the major television channels.
He said for many people in the audience, including the younger lot, the primary destination for news has now shifted to social media sites like X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, where news in terms of eyewitness visuals appears within minutes of the news breaking.
However, this trend has impacted the trend of TV news habits in terms of reducing their validity.
As per Shoaib, television and traditional news media still fill the need for verified information and in-depth reporting because these media outlets enjoy the greatest levels of respect and trust for verified information and in-depth reporting.
He noted that in critical phases like elections, war, and natural disasters, society still turns to traditional news media outlets for confirmation.
As social media continues to dominate news consumption, the future of journalism will depend on balancing freedom of expression with responsibility and credibility.