Alternative Media and Mainstream Media


Introduction


People are always in touch and informed through the use of media. The influence of the media made it possible to change and create an impact in the lives of the individuals who are in touch of it. In the changing world where most of the individuals recognized the impact of the media, there are common trends that give value on the opposing ideas.


How far, or in what ways, might alternative media be said to offer better hope for successful (national) development projects where more mainstream ‘mass’ media have seemingly failed?


In the cultural, innovative, and comprehensive media studies, there is an emerging media issues in terms of sports, culture, science, and technology. The alternative media that rise as the counterpart of the mainstream media and being explored the different issues and the generating the new wave of debate of the two types of media in the society. Clearly, there is a major participation coming from the media in terms of the accessibility, powers, as well as the theories of communication. There are academic approached in understanding the role of the media in serving the society, as a link, how the media achieve their goal, their vulnerability, and the tensions. The area of globalization emphasizes the usefulness of the media. Alternative media as it is differs in the mainstream media have the potential to voice ideas which are importance and distinctive in their own right, that are not necessarily counter-hegemonic, but are still significant for different communities (Mahadik, 2009).


 


Alternative Media versus Mainstream Media


Alternative media is the most controversial concerning to the nature of application to various mainstream practices. The different approaches in the alternative media place an emphasis in the media operation, creation, production, distribution, communication practice and the manifestations of the empowerment. The communication practice of the alternative media is evaluated in terms of incorporating the decentralized information, non-mainstream, and non-commercial practices in the media operation. The model of the alternative media is applied being the leftist in whom the left press figures prominently have the concern in the promotion of the anti-commercial practices. The alternative press does not simply constitute an economic rival to the mainstream counterpart and actively rejects the economic conditions of the mainstream in the extent of developing the innovative forms of distribution. 


On the other hand, the mainstream or mass media uses the various theoretical approaches on the communication. There are diversified applications and different roles in promoting the participatory communication, democracy in communication, or the modes for the subversive action. The interest of such concerns in the considerations of setting the need of the very communication process, realm of mass communication, field of practice, and the process to address the representative terms that is mostly for people. In terms of the participatory, the people are also the main subject of the communication (Vatikiotis, 2005).


Communication as a Tool


The media is using different approach in communication and with the concern of the effectiveness, the design and development matters in the realm of the communication theory. Through reading, writing, listening, speaking, creating and viewing images are part of the acts of communication and holds a great deal of human activity. Communication in media has different characteristics such as gesture, expression, body language, non-verbal and verbal sounds. The process of communication is always been utilized in the mass media or alternative media and gathered the increasing complexity. The communication in the alternative media was described as the model for the leftist while the mass media promoted the use of the participatory communication. Both applied communication theories faced different challenges in measuring the extent of their reach and their development (Croft, 2004). However, there is an implied orientation on the hypodermic needle theory described that power of the media to create and leave an effect on its audiences. There are direct, immediate and powerful influences in communication that raise to the popularization of the radio and television, an emergence of the call for persuasion such as advertising and propaganda, the focused on the impact of motion pictures on the young ones, and the monopolization in the common political parties.


Conclusion


The media in the era of interaction and technology, the media values the area of communication and the people who receives the information makes it possible to comprehend the idea that they relay. Added to that is the persuasion that enables the people to participate and react according to the situations. 


 


 


References:


Croft, R., 2004. Communication Theory. [Online] Available at: http://www2.eou.edu/~rcroft/MM350/CommModels.pdf. [Accessed 15 Feb 2010].


Mahadik, C., 2009. Book Review on Understanding Alternative Media by Olga Bailey, Bart Cammaerts, & Nico Carpentier. GMJ Mediterranean Edition, Vol. 4, No. 1. [Online] Available at: http://globalmedia.emu.edu.tr/spring2009/book_reviews/2_Book_Review_Chetna_Mahadik_pp_42_43.pdf. [Accessed 15 Feb 2010].


Vatikiotis, P., 2005. Communication Theory and Alternative Media. Westminster Papers, Vol. 2, No. 1. [Online] Available at: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/pdf/WPCC-Vol2-No1-Pantelis_Vatikiotis.pdf. [Accessed 15 Feb 2010].


 


 



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