MoJo, short for mobile journalism, is a strategy used to tell stories through technology. Using a phone rather than a camera man can have many pros and cons. On the plus side, you get a lot more freedom, it’s way cheaper, it’s easier to travel with and it’s fast to report news and information. On the other hand, the quality could be iffy, along with the lighting, audio, and stability. Most of these mojos are freelance journalists that use a variety of technologies to share new media.
There are two aspects to mojo; the first being mobile. Mobile can mean two things, being able to move freely and technology. In this case I’d say both can fall under the mobile category of mojo. There is an importance to both of these definitions because of how flexible mojo has to be. Technology has grown exceptionally in the journalism department. Smartphones are one of the most popular technologies of mobile journalism. Because of the recurring updates it makes for better quality videos and edits that work in favor of mobile journalism. Journalism is the second aspect of mojo that relates to the person on camera doing the storytelling.
- More freedom.
When using technology to report news, you have so much more freedom than using a ginormous camera. If there is something newsworthy that needs to be recorded as soon as possible, it is a set back to carry around the big camera. You also get the opportunity to work alone and put your own twist on things. Because mobile journalism is all about storytelling it is important to make it unique to draw in an audience, which is where mojo comes in. It doesn’t have to all be in a news theme. It can be used to make a documentary sequence showing information about a person or place.
- Way cheaper.
An average news camera costs around 5,000 dollars or more. While an iPhone and equipment costs way less and is easy to replace. The products needed for mobile journalism such as a tripod are important for the quality of the video along with the mics and flash lights needed for quality of lighting and sound. Those three things alone are around 200 dollars plus your iPhone and you’re good to go!
It is also cheaper to hire freelance journalists who are familiar with mojo and have been using it for a while. They are also most likely going to be a younger generation that are more comfortable with a phone rather than someone who has been behind a news camera for most of their career.
- It’s easy to travel with.
Because the phone is so small it is easier to travel. If there are freelance journalists in New York who have a story in California that they think would make a good story, they can’t lug around a huge camera and expect it to be easy. But, if they were to carry their iPhone it would be much more convenient to get from place to place.
It is also easy to move around with a cell phone instead of a camera because what if there are areas for shooting that are in small spaces, you simply just can’t fit a news camera. It is also easy to move around when people don’t want to be recorded. There are many people that do not like to be recorded and the iPhone is the best way to hide that someone is taking a video for a larger purpose.
- It is comfortable.
When people do see you recording, they aren’t as afraid. Most people are so comfortable with the iPhone that they are more likely to be themselves while behind the camera. There are many areas where this is seen such as in YouTube videos, TikToks, and even photos.
- It’s fast.
If the news isn’t timely, then people most likely already heard it or don’t care anymore. There are so many reasons why the iPhone is so much faster than even television. People are on their phones all the time that means that there are more people that will see the post or video sooner than they will on the news. Apps like Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook provide this information before most news channels do.
Mobile Journalism is everywhere but the audience doesn’t even notice. There are so many reasons why mojo is way more convenient than carrying around a dinosaur news camera. Because the audience is the most important part to storytelling, I think that keeping it quick and easy is the best way to keep the audience hooked. News readers want their information from one sentence in an article they don’t want to have read through the whole thing. But, watching a video is a different story. Most people would rather watch a video online or on tv rather than read about it in a newspaper or article. This represents the development of technology over the years and how important it is to keep up with our audience to keep them hooked.
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