NDM: Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

NDM: Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

Read the Media Magazine article ‘Web 2.0: Participation or Hegemony?'. Go to our archive of Media Magazine issues and click on MM39 - the article you need is on page 58. Answer the following questions:

notes:

as anyone with a web connection

can create and publish texts (‘user-generated 

content’); we no longer have to rely upon 

professional organisations (or traditional ‘old’ 

media) to act as the gatekeepers. 

Some observers believe this has led to 

‘dumbing down’ and ‘the cult of the amateur’ 

(see Carr, 2011); ‘dumb’ and ‘amateur’ because 

anyone, regardless of ability or expertise, can create texts.

What appears to be happening is that YouTube is now used more frequently as a commercial  network for promotional and catch-up purposes that runs alongside, and probably dominates, the original, usually trivial, user-generated content.

1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? the police would like to think that they are more dominant then the working class man as they have power because of their position.

How did new and digital media create a different story? it challenged the the view of the professionals and unveiled the truth of what happened that day, without the footage the courts or the world would never have known the truth about Ian Tomplinsons death.

 What does the police officer's subsequent aquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media? This may suggest that although user generated content is rightly put forth, the ultimate way of how we are governed may be influenced by our class and where our positions are in society. I personally think that we need to break out of these unfair constraints to be able to lead fair lives in a real democratic society.

2) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0? 

The author may be suggesting that although we do not have gatekeepers constricted our voices and opinions from being heard, we still remain powerless.I gather this from the fact that the articles and cases on the the media magazine article does not have a fair response to the injustice, Ian and many other receive.   

3) In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?

I think that the audience does get a platform to challenge dominant ideologies, because regardless of whether officials and people in power do not take interest towards the alternative view, many of the open minded public do allow room for people to portray a substitute or different ideology or representation, and the opinion of the general public matters too.