In our Media Studies lecture today, we were discussing the Internet. In my opinion, the net is one of the best things ever. I love the idea of this kind of world within our world. It exists in its own dimension and can expand forever as long as people continue to contribute. I think the day is coming where everyone will have personal website (probably a customisable template supplied by Google); Facebook is already halfway there. A job application will be a case of giving your potential employer your URL which they can visit to pick up a CV and look at your certificates hanging on your tastefully decorated wall. The history of the internet can be seen here.

The exchange of information, the meetings between people and the buying and selling are mind boggling. The lovely thing is we built it and will continue to build it. It's like everyone has a few bricks which we can add to this billion-storey sky-scraper which shows no sign of toppling under its own weight.

The Internet does have some bad points; a lot of crime happens or begins online. But crime is a by product of any social structure. To say that the web is bad because of the crime is no different to suggesting that no one should interact in societies. However, one facet of this sprawling system which hangs over our heads is the death of journalism as we know it.

Newspapers are in decline, and it seems almost certain that within our careers they will be a thing of the past as people opt for tailor made news bulletins. We can see this taking shape already with devices such as RSS feeds. But will professional journalists also become a thing of the past? Anyone can post news online and this crowdsourcing of information often happens at a rate faster that any traditional news provider could hope to match. Does this mean that studying for a journalism degree is akin to learning to be a dodo farmer? I doubt it.

The fact remains that journalism offered by amateurs is likely to be about is trustworthy as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Thanks to media law, people know that what they read and see in professional publications and broadcast is much closer to a guarantee of fact that anything they can get from Twitter or a blog, and they will continue to pay for that guarantee. The law we study is exactly what will keep the craft alive. Yes, it will change; we just have to be quick-witted enough to change with it.