Alternative Media Effects on Protest Movements

Paper Summary:

The writer of this paper examines the recent growth in various alternative media sources which are grabbing more and more viewers away from the usual televised and print media into more locally controlled information sources. This paper details how various activist websites have utilized the world wide web to further their respective causes in innovative ways. For example: MoveOn.org organized a "Virtual March on Washington" where over 400,000 people signed up to flood the offices of the White House and Congress with a barrage of telephone calls and e-mails with support for a peaceful resolution to the war in Iraq. The writer contends that mainstream media tends to frame issues narrowly and in simplistic terms to avoid any real popular momentum whereas on various websites there are virtually no limits as to what can or can not be stated. With its lack of governmental oversight and unlimited bandwidth, cyberspace is finding itself, more often the first choice of those who want fast, reliable information.

From the Paper:

"The true power, however, of this young medium was displayed in all its might on February 16, 2003, when "people with an astonishing variety of backgrounds and viewpoints" came out to "the biggest anti-war demonstrations ever held... worldwide." Religious organizations, race rights groups, environmentalists, anti-globalists, and others came together like a collective of Venn diagrams, independent but connecting in parts to move toward a common cause. The set up was fascinating because there was no "leader", no single set of beliefs holding these protestors together. From an organizing standpoint this type of setup has some positives and negatives. Since there is no central leadership it becomes a beast with many heads, very difficult to kill. Also, since it's arranged on the local level, the individual groups can spend time gathering up just their core constitutes by focusing on their specific agenda."

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