Rise of the "5th Estate"

Citizen journalism, online activism groups and social media sites have morphed into what is being termed the "5th Estate". How is the rise of the 5th estate affecting the way Politicians, the media and the corporate world interact with the broader public?

The rise of the "5th Estate" affects the way politicians the media and the corporate world interacts with the broader public because media coverage is no longer the sole provider of the most current up to date information available. With the invention of social  networking anyone who has an account can post up information to the global community.
The rise of the "5th Estate" affects the way politicians interact with the broader public as now everyone has a voice and its impossible to keep things in the dark once the information has been leaked publicly. Politicians are now alot more politically correct as a single offensive quote may be posted globally within seconds. It also affects how things are run as now we can see a far more indicative version of what the public wants rather then the way it was before the internet.
Online activism groups give voice to the different groups of people that may have not had a voice in the past such as a minority group. They also disclose information about politicians that are for and against their policies giving the viewer a clear choice as to who to vote for in order to get the legislation they want.