AUDIENCE - SHIRKY

Evaluate the usefulness of Shirky’s ‘end of audience’ theory in understanding audience use of online newspapers such as The Guardian and MailOnline.

Shirky’s ‘end of audience’ theory is focused on the change from atomised consumers to consumers as producers, from a predictable mass to unpredictable participation creating value for each other, from ‘filter then publish’ to ‘publish then filter.’ It was designed to explain the changes brought about by the online media and as such we might expect it to have some value in understanding how audiences for online newspapers. We might examine the value of this theory by considering the way that the two different models of approach are manifest in the GuardianOnline and MailOnline.

Shirky’s work points to the idea of cognitive surplus which manifests in online news in the form of citizen journalism. The Guardian online has embraced citizen journalism; its "Comment is Free" section, for instance, allows readers to contribute opinion pieces and commentary on a wide range of topics, amplifying diverse voices and perspectives. By embracing citizen journalism, The Guardian online has reaffirmed its commitment to journalistic values of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity, while remaining at the forefront of digital innovation in the media landscape. While MailOnline does incorporate user-generated content through features like "iReporters," where users can submit photos, videos, and eyewitness accounts of news events, its approach to citizen journalism is primarily focused on supplementing its reporting with additional perspectives and multimedia content, rather than actively engaging readers as contributors to its editorial content.  Shirky may therefore be useful in distinguishing between platforms that embrace collaborative production within the framework of their liberalism and commitment to amplifying diverse voices and those that use it more like a marketing tool. However, even the Guardian’s more liberal approach to citizen journalism still holds to the filter and publish model, so Shirky’s theory is not wholly useful in analysing this content.

While Shirky’s work clearly points to the fact that online audiences have greater opportunities to engage with and contribute to news content on platforms like Guardian Online and MailOnline, Curran and Seaton maintain that the oligarchy of media conglomerates still has significant power to control online content. Even though both these platforms encourage participatory culture, this makes up only a fraction of their content or it serves as a tool to bring more clicks to what they see as their ‘real’ work. Furthermore, professional journalists adhere to ethical standards, fact-checking procedures, and editorial oversight to ensure the accuracy, credibility, and accountability of news reporting. While citizen journalism and user-generated content have expanded the range of voices and perspectives in online news, they may lack the journalistic rigour and resources to navigate complex issues and provide in-depth analysis. Guardian Online and MailOnline, as reputable news outlets, value journalism as a professional practice, employing trained journalists to investigate stories, verify information, and uphold editorial standards.  ‘End of audience’ theory best fits social and participatory media with user-generated content, whereas newspaper websites still rely on professional journalism for their brand value – so audiences will expect prior filtering of ‘real’ news – this doesn’t refute the theory so much as to show there is a range of online media and audience types.