MoJo is a new form of journalism that is becoming more and more popular in recent years. Essentially, mobile journalism is media storytelling that is created through smartphones and internet connection. Now that it is common for most people to own a portable electronic device of some kind, they have the ability to produce journalism super simply. Videos, images, and recordings can all be shot, edited, and sent out to the media with the use of internet connection and very minimal gadgets.
Nick Garnett is a journalist at BBC that has had an impact on spreading the word about MoJo. He found that he could produce the same journalistic stories without a fancy camera or a crew. Garnett has shown the quality pieces that he has produced with simply his smartphone, a tripod, a microphone, and an internet connection. This has inspired others to take their journalistic work into their own hands and create content with the tools that they already have with them everywhere they go.
One of the positive aspects of MoJo is that you have your own freedom to create content anywhere. You can make a story just by using your phone to record and edit. This makes it easier for you to have full topical and creative control of your work. More positives are that it is very portable, cheap, and quick. On the other hand, the negative aspects of MoJo are ill-stability, poor lighting, and lower quality audio. Yet, all of these things can be improved with simple tools and tricks.
This concept is something that isn’t so foreign to my generation. For years people have been using their phones to record and edit videos for Youtube and other social media about their lives. This is just simply applying that to journalism and making it about telling stories. Thinking of it this way may even help others who have built a career off of making Youtube videos. At times I find myself bored when watching a vlog that had no plot. I’m likely to click off of a video of someone’s everyday tasks, but I find myself interested when there is action, a climax, and a resolution in the video. This morphs the content into a story, which is essentially the core of journalism.
I think that this concept can be applied to my travels so easily. I’m never without my phone and I’m constantly taking pictures and videos of what I’m doing. By adding in the basics of a story (the who, what, when, where, why, and how), facts, and interviews, you’ve got a journalistic piece. This has really shown me the true power of our smartphones in so many aspects of life. People today are creating their entire career through the use of smart phone content and social media. Studying this has inspired me to utilize the tools that I carry around with me in my iPhone.
In my opinion, it is extremely important to hop on the trends and changes in technology in all careers in order to stay the most competitive. I think that MoJo is a great example of the journalism world adapting to the new technologies that are a such huge part of our lives.
For more information click here to be directed to the Mobile Journalism Manual website.
The Yellow Brick Road 