Journal de communication de masse et de journalisme

Critical Approaches to Citizen Journalism

Abstract

Aljawjara Almutarie

Citizen journalism (CJ) on social media platforms has been seen as a means whereby the ordinary citizen can obtain and disseminate information and exchange views with a certain degree of freedom. This is especially the case in countries like Saudi Arabia, where the traditional media is highly regulated and, to some extent, acts as a mouthpiece for the government. However, criticisms have been directed to CJ, with some authors arguing that it may not be the democratizing force that some claim it to be. This paper explores these criticisms with reference to CJ in the Arab context, in particular in relation to the phenomenon known as the Arab Spring; and in the light of a study of Saudi citizen journalism on Twitter, specifically on hashtags that addressed serious economic issues of concern to citizens in the KSA, such as the controversial tax on unused land. The paper concludes by suggesting that CJ is a complex phenomenon which needs to be considered in the specific context in which it appears so that the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that influence it are fully understood and a proper assessment be made of the impact that it has.