DEMOCRATIZATION OF JOURNALISM IN OMAN THROUGH NEW MEDIA

Developments in technologies have resulted in faster communication among people across the globe. The news which used to take hours in the past now travels in minutes with the help of new media technologies. Even the common citizen can share their ideas or comment on the news with the help of blogs, social networking sites etc. This study investigates the adoption of New media technologies e.g. Web 2.0, SMS, news apps etc, among youth in Oman to see the changing trend in journalistic practices. The methodology includes cross sectional survey with young people from Urban and Semi Urban areas of Oman. Using the theory of "Uses and gratification", the researchers have evaluated the role of New Media in the democratization process and how upcoming journalistic practices through new media are changing the nature of news in Oman.