Blog 10- EOTO Part II

                                                                                                 Alternative Media

 

            Alternative Media is a huge establishment that has changed the lives of many today. The definition is media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media in terms of content, production, or distribution. It tends to be “non- commercial projects that advocate the interests of those excluded from the mainstream”. The different forms of media are press-print, radio, video and film, internet, street art, performance, and music. 

            In my presentation, I explained how different people found different ways to define alternative media. John Downing described it as "radical alternative media that expresses an alternative vision to hegemonic policies, priorities, and perspectives”. Christian Fuchs says it must have 4 distinct properties. It must be involved in the creation, different from mainstream, create a perspective different fr
om that of the state or major corporations, and it must establish different types of relationships with market and/or state. Atton and Hamilton say, “alternative journalism proceeds with dissatisfaction not only with the mainstream coverage of certain issues and topics”. And journalistic practices say alternative media not only allows but facilitate the participation of its members in both the produced content and the content-producing organization. 

            Sources that fall outside of the mainstream category are called alternative, anarchist, small, activist, grassroots, progressive, non-corporate, subversive underground, radical, dissident, independent, and other terms. Many alternative media aspects are becoming increasingly popular and slowly morphing into mainstream media houses themselves. 

            The definition of alternative media is mainstreaming limiting approaches to the study of alternative media which also addresses the question of how and where the media was created. It is also defined as a small-scale politically radical media, using a wide spectrum of communication technologies and formats. It is a connection with a series of major historical and 20^th century movements, which singly and collectively indicate societal impact.