CITIZEN JOURNALISM AND USER GENERATED CONTENT IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA. NEW DIALOGIC FORM OF COMMUNICATION, USER-ENGAGEMENT TECHNIQUE OR FREE LABOR EXPLOITATION?

Abstract

 With the widespread diffusion of social networks and "participatory platforms", the process of collecting, creating and distributing information is no longer the exclusive competence of professional journalists and media outlets: it potentially involves all citizens, turning information into a real common good. In this context, despite their concerns, big broadcasters have been forced to adapt and include User Generated Content (UGC) in their programming, both as a way to engage their users and to benefit from the opportunity offered by a potential infinite source of information. This article, through a structural and qualitative analysis of four amongst the most relevant international broadcasters’ User generated Content platforms (BBC, France 24, CNN and Al Jazeera), tries to understand if the outputs of these initiatives actually create a new form of dialogic journalism, showing that these relatively young practices present a mix of user engagement and active participation, but it’s too early to speak about a real dialogic communication. The main limits are still related to the verification process, the crediting –and consequently with free labor- and the responsibility attributions. The articles ends with some recommendations geared toward building a real community of trust.