From the moment we were able to connect to the internet, we became interested in the tools that the web 2.0 offered. We are no longer a passive audience; today we are considered an active audience. Thanks to the advances in technology, individuals are able to write blogs and provide comments or feedback on products. Also, fans are now able to create and recreate videos and songs to share them on YouTube and other media sites. The use of computers transformed the way fans use to think and act, it gave them the tools needed to create and share their own works and thoughts with other around the world. Vevo, on the other hand, limits the audience to participate by only allowing its users to view their videos. Users are still able to share these videos with others through the same site and trough the YouTube channel they can provide comments as well as sharing them with peers via twitter, Facebook , etc.
Jay Rosen, make emphasis on the importance of an active audience in journalism. However, not only journalism has been impacted by technology advances these days but other forms of entertainment also. Rosen explains in his article that the people formerly known as the audience are those who were on the receiving end of a media system; we were just a population that listened but not anymore. For instance, YouTube let its users run the site by shooting, editing and sharing videos that once only big media companies were able afford to reach an audience. Today these videos are created by the audience to the audience. This being said, the previous passive audience, is now an active audience that generates their own content to be viewed by many around the world, the more people participate the larger the audience becomes and it will continue to expand.
With the invention of Smartphones and video cameras, a new era started for the active audience. Now, individuals could also watch these videos from their phones at any time and any place. The Smartphone has become the best media object for the participatory media; it allows individuals to create and share videos on YouTube and view videos on Vevo. When we watch a video that we like, we can immediately open a conversation on the site by leaving a comment or we can send it to our peers who may become interested as well. You can do all this things because you are no longer viewing or listening, you now have the control in your hand that you could use to add and edit. You, for example, are reading my post now and will probably leave a comment (I thank you in advance for doing that); this makes you part of an active audience.