The document discusses how the author consumes news through their mobile phone and prefers reliable sources like the BBC and SKY. Social media sites are also used to share news and can help promote democracy by raising awareness for causes. While some argue social media is mostly used for entertainment, the author believes sites like Twitter can also be used to enact political change through organizing protests. The internet provides news from both large organizations and individuals to keep people informed on topics.

1. ‘We Media’ and Democracy
There are many ways I consume the news. This could be electronically or through
something physical like a newspaper. Being 17 years old, it is pretty obvious that I
tend to receive news electronically. One device that I take with me everywhereis
my mobile phone. This not only lets me access news that I am interested in
straight away but it I am able to let my phone notify me when there is important
news that I should know about. The only other ways I consume news are either
through newspapers, word of mouth or through other electronic devices such as
TV.
My phone is the device I use to receive news, but who supplies this news?
I usually stick to the sites that I know are usually reliable, such as organisations
like the BBC and SKY. I use these for general news that is happening around the
world as it is very easy to access and I know the news is true. This is because they
usually have evidence to back up their facts, and they are impartial to any
arguments which allows their audience to have their own opinion.
BBC and SKY are organisations that also supply news to others through TV. One of
the reasons that they are so popular is that they can be found on pretty much any
electronic device.
One difference between the two is that the BBC is paid for by licence fees and is a
public service, therefore it is not a profit based business, whereas SKY customers
are charged for use of some of their certain services. Things such as their TV
channels, and sometimes use of their apps. For this reason I prefer I use the BBC.
On the subject of apps, there are many applications that can be used to access
news, although most use social media sites like facebook or twitter to get their
supply of news. These sites allow their members to share news with their friends
and indeed the whole world. Twitter is a great place for people to share both
harrowing and happy news, which has meant that millions upon millions have
chosen to create an account in order to be amused or to be informed.
Dan Gillmoor argued that media such as social media sites were making media
become more democratic, and I completely agree with him. Every day on social
media I see people trying to make a difference. A prime example of this is when
we see a shared post from somebody who is trying to raise awareness of a missing
person, or to raise money for a good cause. As well as helping others, it can also
be used to change more political things such as laws and regulations. For this
reason, there are more and more people creating an account on twitter, and on
some occasions groups are formed on other social media sites in order to find more
people with a similar opinion so that there is a bigger chance of their protests
being noticed. Twitter and general social media is also used by organisations like
SKY and the BBC, so their accounts, which have huge following, can be used to
gather opinions and this can help make a change.

2. However, it is very easy to create an account on a social media site and the
majority of users use it for amusement. This relates to Morozov, and his book “Net
Delusion”, which states that rather than for democracy, people use the internet for
“Sex, shopping and entertainment” and that itv tends not to be used for change.
The reason I feel that Gillmoor is right and Morozov isn’t is because there are
places on the internet which can be used for change and there is places that can’t.
For example, there sites that are used to raise money in order to fund protests.
Other than for entertainment and for change, the internet is largely used to
inform. This news can come from both large and small scale companies.
Organisations like BBC and SKY tend to be used by all generations and this means
that they have to supply the right news and make sure it is filtered so that the
audience can understand it (Less complex words etc.).
Because they are so easy to access, these two organisations have huge audiences
and their range of stories spread around the country. The BBC news app further
enhances this element of convenience as it allows users to read deep into a news
story with just a couple of clicks.
One story that has caught my eye over recent weeks is the terrible happenings in
Syria. This has had heavy coverage on the BBC news app and it is something that is
almost impossible to get away from and because of the sheer amount of times I
have seen it I have felt like I have to look further into it. This shows that my
attention in terms of news stories can be gained by heavy coverage. Click bait is
also something that will grab peoples attention as it gives an audience the
impression that there is some intriguing news that they ought to know about. I no
longer fall for this as I can spot it because of the amount of times I have fell for it
before.
I am heavily into sport, and because of this my internet history is filled with sports
sites and mostly football related things. This means that certain people (internet
providers in particular) can use my history in order to make sure they are providing
me with news that I am interested in. Without this I feel it would be much harder
to find the news that I am interested in and I would be wasting my time.
Other than the occurrences in Syria, there are plenty of other news stories which I
have read in to. One of these other stories is the release of the iPhone 7. The
reason that I have been receiving this news is because of my preferences on the
BBC news app. The article provided me with a piece of text without bias and gave
me the facts, allowing me to make a judgement for myself, something that I feel
the BBC does very well.
In conclusion, I feel that my habits in terms of news consuming news show that I
have been using the internet for a long time and for this reason it isn’t hard to tell
that I am part of the younger generation. However, I do not use the internet
entirely for “Shopping, sex and entertainment” as Morozov suggests in his book, but
I also use it to be informed as well as be entertained.