The Spontaneous Video and its Impact on the Digital Press

Abstract

Most of us now have instant access mobile phones with integrated cameras so we are able to record an unplanned video at any time and place within a matter of seconds. Modern technology has provided us with the ability to create spontaneous videos. Spontaneous videos are a new way of portraying our society and communicating events and, by means of the internet and web 2.0 applications, they have the potential to reach every corner of the globe, form an integral part of mass media news reports, and influence public opinion. This study establishes the basis for identifying and understanding the spontaneous video, analysing its application in video activism and citizen journalism, and investigating its impact on the digital press. To this end, we have analysed spontaneous videos created and shared online by IES Lluís Vives students in Valencia on the 15th of February, 2012. Students held a protest on this date against education cuts carried out by the Valencian Community government in Spain. The resulting spontaneous videos had a great impact on the media and were reported by Spanish digital newspapers including El País, El Mundo, La Razón, ABC and Público.