*****Theory and Methodology :: ATTON (2002) theory of alternative and radical media that is not limited to political and resistance media but also account newer cultural forms such as zines and hybrids forms of electronic communication. transformatory potential of the media as reflexive instruments of communication practices in social networks : there is a focus on process and relation . p.7 disturbance and rupture Enzensberger (1976) has proposed a politically emancipatory use of media that is characterized by (1) interactivity between audiences and creators, (2) collective production and (3) a concern with everyday life and the ordinary needs of people. p.8 diversity of alternatie media: different forms and differetn perspectives heterogeneity of styles, contributions, perspectives participation and interaction are key concepts >>McQuail 1994 democratic-participant model >> small scale radical >> related to social change alternative > more general "I propose a model of the alternative media that is as much concerned with how it is organized within its sociocultural context as with its subject matter." p.10 "alternative media provide information about interpreations of the world which we might not otherwise see and information abouth the world that we simply will not find anywhere else." p12. more interested in the free flow of ideas than in profit significance of alternative media for radical an unconventional content alternative press as modern pamphleteer "the alternative media employ methods of production and distribution, allied to an activist philosophy of creating "information for action" timeously and rapidly." p.12 They can deal with emerging issues "it is in the nature of acticies to respond to social isses as they emerge" 12 alternative media >>> deals with the opinions of small minoriites it deals with subjects not given regular coverage by mainstream non-commercial >> basic concern with ideas, not with profit social responsibility :: promotion of local communities and local democracy "A constructive definition of alternative media can begin with the presence of radical content, most often allied to the promotion of social change." 14 opportunity for radical content outside of mainstream -Tim O'Sullivan (1994) "radical social change" >> advocate change in society, or at least a critical reassessment of traditional values. p.14 characteristics of alternative media practice: -democratic/collectivist process of production; -a commitment ot innovation or experimentiation in form/and content. -Traber (1985) grassroots media :: alternative news values "produced by the same people whose concerns they represent, from a position of engagement and direct participation." p.16 assist local people -Community media access and participation means of communication andexpression placed in hands of the community :: on the people who control their environmente empowerment of specific communities of interst -Citizen media media that is controloed by citizens as opposed to state- or coporate controlled media "not only freedom from corporate influence may be obtained, but also the freedom to publish on subjects directly useful to citizens amd to involve those same citizens in their production." 17 -Downing concerned with theories of alternative media that privilege the processes by which people are empowered through their direct involvement in alternative media production. it is not simply the content, it is also the relations of production the production context also can be radical in pursue of social change model of cultural production : participatory production, organization content :: disocurses to provoke social change action : "enact social change through their own means of production, which are themselves positioned in relation to the dominant means of production." 18 change : could be local, national, global, individual personal act of becoming an zine editor >>> personal act of becoming a mapper! challenges to hegemony :: explicity political platforms, indirect challenges through experimentation and transformation of existing roles, routines, emblems, signs counter-hegemonic subcultural style having social change as its heart ::: oppositional cultures *Downing principles of alternative media (1984) privilege process over product, organization and engagement over words and circulation figures 1. the importance of encouraging contributions from as many interested parties as possible, in order to emphasize the "multiple realities" of social life (oppression, political cultures, economic situations); 2. that radical media, while they may be partisan, should never become a tool of a party intelligentsia; 3. that radical media at their most creative and socially significant privilege movements over institutions; 4. that within the organisation of radical media there appears an emphasis n prefigurative politics. p.20 considers radical media as the media of social movements alternative public sphere, counter hegemony and resistance "radicality of process over content: "a consideration which envourages us to account for alternative and radical media with content that is not explicity political or that has an avowedly non-politicial content, where the processes of producion enable the "position" of the media and its producers to be radicalized" p.23 work position within the relations of production Duncombe work in American zines: characteristics of production: "zine producers are amateurs, product is cheaply produced and promoted by multiple copying at not profit, the distintion between producer and consumer is increasingly blurred" reader/writer blur turning consumers into producers, spectators into collaborators "emphasize the organization of media to enable wider social participation in their creation, production, dissemination that is possible in the mass media. " p.25 JAmes HAmilton (2001) >>> alternative media >> "must be deprofessionalized, decapitalizaed, and deinsitutionalized." p.25 "avalable to ordinary people without the necessity of professional training, without the necessity of professional training, without execssive capital outlay and they must take place in settings other than media isntituions or similar systmes." p.25 transformation of notions of professionalism, ocmpetence and expertise. -topology of alternative and radical media 1. content (political radical, socially/cultural radical): news values 2. form - graphics, visual language; varieties of presentation and binding; aesthetics 3. reprographic innovations/adaptations - use of mimeographs, IBM typesetting, offset litho, photocopiers 4. "Distributive use" - alternative sites for distribution, clandestine/invisible distribution networks, anti-copyright 5. transformed social relations, roles and responsibilities - reader-writers, collective organization, de-professionalization of journalism, printing, publishing 6. transformed communication processes - horizontal linkages, networks. *********************** -atton communication as process >> how it is produce what does have radical potential very open position heterogeneous form and content big focus on processs anarchist overstressing process over content overly view o empowerment how do we distinguish among different messages? diferent practices? what are the levels of empowerment? how empowerment are they really? what kind of power? unclear about the radical potential.