Citizen Journalism as Ritual Practices: A study of PeoPo Citizen Journalism Platform in Taiwan

Though substantial studies have explored the motives, activities and limits of citizen journalism in the past decade, less attention has been given to the ritual aspects of citizen journalism, such as those related to common faith, collective learning, and shared emotions among members of a community. Based on field notes in Taiwan, this paper should focus on the ritual and interaction among three critical agents of citizen journalism production: citizen media organization, individual citizen reporters, and civic organizations (i.e., NGOs, NPOs). This research collected data via in-depth interviews, participatory observation and online text analysis. The findings suggest that citizen media organization acts as a boundary-spanner by communicating the idea of citizen journalism to the public, linking citizen reporters with public television programs, and bridging citizen reporters with civic organizations. For the citizen journalists, citizen journalism has become a significant part of everyday life and a shared action repertoire in crisis situation. Through online and offline mutual interactions, a practice community of citizen journalism has been constructed and maintained. Through their mutual engagement, citizen journalists make their collective lives meaningful and establish what is significant about their work in shared ways. By mutual engagement, citizen reporters also share focus of attention, gain emotional energy as an imagined community, and develop a repertoire for collective action.