Abstract
A cultural transformation of society over the years besides a modern convergence of media platforms has increased the network in many communities, mainly in the political environment. According to the principles of convergence culture of Jenkins (2006), which means a new way of collaboration between users and media, this paper examines how the use of these media platforms, mainly social media, can be effective in political causes, which views are supported by political movements such as Arab Spring happened in the Middle East and North Africa, Movement 15-M in Spain and Occupy Wall Street in New York, pointed by Gerbaudo (2012) and Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015). These protests demonstrated that Web 2.0 allows transformation of individual thoughts into collective ideas, passive participation in active collaboration of users.
Introduction
Over the last years, the society has been passing for a cultural transformation besides an evolution of technology and a changed of communication through multiple platforms of media, which is understood as culture convergence (Jenkins, 2006). The interaction between users and media, traditional and digital, but mainly social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube due to Web 2.0, besides the development of smartphones, tablets, and notebooks, has resulted in a new way of participation, production e and consumption of information, which means active collaboration and rise of networking in many niches, as political communities. Through political movements such as Arab Spring occurred in the Middle East and North Africa, Movement 15-M in Spain and Occupy Wall Street in New York, pointed by Gerbaudo (2012) and Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015), the influence of digital media not only in support but control of the protests. The movements shared civil resistance techniques in sustained campaigns online involving strikes, demonstrations, rallies, as well as the use of social media to organise, communicate and raise awareness among the population and the international community in the face of attempts to repression and censorship. In other words, the use of digital media for political purpose in communities allows transcends the online environment and starts to occupy squares and streets, as well as has the ability to provide voice and power to any citizen from any part of the world in order to report the misconduct of politics. Having said that, this paper will argue about the effective contribution of Web 2.0 and respective platforms in engagement in politics communities due to allowing an active participation collective of each user, alternative production of media and simultaneous distribution of information.
Literature Review
The migration for a new model of communication as result of the cultural transformation of society, the evolution of technology, and the use of multiple media platforms is called culture convergence (Jenkins, 2006). The social interaction of each individual, their integration with media, traditional and digital, besides the development of electronic devices has resulted in a new mode of consumption, production, and distribution of information. According to Jenkins (2006), this convergence can be understood through main concepts as media convergence, participatory culture, and collective intelligence. The first principle regards to not only the integration of media, traditional and digital on electronic devices but also producers and audience. The participatory culture can be comprehended by Jenkins (2006) as the change of participation passive to active of the audience, which results in a change of mode of production of media, now the consumers are able to interact and create with the media corporations, a process which can be linked to the third principle. The collective intelligence is the transformation of the individual to the collective, so that each thought, view, an idea of each user is shared to increase a general one, and as an alternative source of media, it is viable networking between niches and communities according to each subject. Furthermore, according to Jenkins (2006), for being an independent collaboration of media corporations, can configure a decentralization of power of them. In summary, despite had been written more than a decade ago, the author identifies e directs the principles of production, consumption and distribution of media, which can be seen nowadays.
Principles of contemporary communication illustrated by Gerbaudo (2012) in the political environment, over recent samples of popular manifestations not only supported but controlled by social media. Through movements such as Arab Spring happened in Middle East and North Africa, Movement 15-M in Spain and Occupy Wall Street in New York, Gerbaudo (2012), analyzed mainly the use of digital media by political activists as a tool of organisation and popular mobilization for mass action on streets. According to Gerbaudo (2012), the Internet and respective platforms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and photographic sites such as Flickr, have been crucial for the creation of groups to establishing alliances and forming identities. It is through these online media tool and the interaction with electronic devices such as smartphones that not only the dissemination of ideas are made but also choreograph the logistics and operational part during the protests, in real time, such as schedules, dates and other details of the organisation of the political actions, as well as the distribution of content such as instant photos, videos and news about the actions, the so-called ‘citizen journalism’. ‘Facebook revolutions’, and ‘Twitter revolutions’ regards to the power of these media in transform the scenery political from the standpoint of society. “We are all Khaled Said” coordinated protests as a result of the shared photos on these platforms of Khaled Mohamed Saeed died after being beaten to death by police is a sample pointed by Gerbaudo (2012). Likewise, the “Indignados Movement” in Spain which each individual frustration regards to political representativeness on social media became a collective one which resulted in protests on streets organised and supported mainly through Twitter and live-streaming video platforms. In addition, Occupy Wall Street happened in New York, is another movement showed by Gerbaudo (2012), which with the slogan “We are the 99%” referring to the inequality of the income distribution of wealth in the United States between the richest 1% and the rest of the population, the Zuccotti Park was occupied. However, in contrast to the other protests illustrated above, in this case, the participation of sympathizers was motived more for emotional standpoint than the social media through a sense of solidarity spread on the community of Twitter for activists. To sum up, the author is optimistic about the use of these platforms of media against the oppression of the population, mainly for promoting minority voice, but highlighted the importance of constant reformulations in order to sustain a degree of continuity of respective approaches online and on streets.
As the same way of Gerbaudo (2012), Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015), analyze the crucial importance of digital platforms on organisation and mobilization of Arab Spring movements, country to another. However, is also considered by the authors the importance of the interaction of traditional media such as a cable television in order to maintain the effective results of the protests, which reinforces the principle media convergence argued by Jenkins (2006). For Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015), the interaction of media has motivated and increased the participation of citizens in various locations, countries, including remote ones, to participate in the movements, which means that there is no substitution process, but complementarity of media between forms of protest resulting in urban space. According to Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015), protests liked at the death of Mohamed Bouazizi is a sample of motivation due to multiple platforms of media. Mohamed was a Tunisian street vendor whose self-immolation was the trigger for the protests in Tunisia that led then-President Ben Ali to resign, which images of protests shared on Facebook and Twitter through hashtags such as Twitter hashtag #bouazizi #sidibouzid #tunisia, was used as well for channels Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and France 24 which were spread and motivated protests. In addition, Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015), argue with Gerbaudo (2012) according to the necessity of sustaining a degree of continuity mainly in participation in the public space. For the authors, the revolutions can even start on social networks, but it is on the urban space with them unfold. In summary, despite to emphasize the importance of the integration of traditional media with new media and an active participation on streets, the social media still the major tool of expressions and dissemination of claim-making of contemporary society.
Discussion
According to the samples argued above, seems that it is noticed the effective contribution of digital platforms in engagement in political communities and networking due to allowing an active participation collective, alternative production and simultaneous distribution of information of media.
Firstly, regards to participatory culture of Jenkins (2006), it is showed through Gerbaudo (2012) and Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015), the importance of the social media in order to provide the active participation of activists and sympathizers in political communities around the world, which organisations and mobilizations begins on environment online and have been resulted in collective movements, the resignation of leaders, reformulation of laws until reappropriation the urban space.
Secondly, the alternative production of media as result of the collective intelligence Jenkins (2006), shows how each individual collaboration through each photo, video or text uploaded on digital media of each common citizen can contribute to building many perspectives of only one approach, a device to device, country to country. Similarly, this alternative production of media reinforces the importance of the integration of public and corporations of media, as seen between cable tv channels such as Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and France 24 and social media as on case of death of Mohamed Bouazizi, which content shared on digital media by activists was used for these Tv channels, and resulted in the dissemination effective of political networks, according to Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015). Furthermore, this alternative production of content can mean also a decentralization of power until then restricted to the mainstream media, which results for political communities more transparency of the content shared due to the fact of being distributed of ordinary citizens of many different standpoints. Having said that, the alternative media produced by the citizens can reformulate regimes that, in this way, can question the legitimacy by rulers, which highlights the importance of alternative production for political groups online (Alsayyad and Guvenc, 2015).
Lately, the simultaneous distribution of information through digital media through respective devices allows improvement on political communities once the content can be shared and seen of many places, country to country, which can increase the effectivity of organisations of online groups and the movements on streets. The simultaneous distribution of media is a result convergence of media argued by Jenkins (2006) and can be illustrated through political protests as Arab Spring, “Indignados” and Occupy Wall Street pointed by Gerbaudo (2012) and Alsayyad and Guvenc (2015). Having said that, this contemporary distribution provides the choreography of the logistics and operational part before, during and after the protests, real-time meetings for groups online and on streets, as well as an instantaneous distribution of content.
Conclusions and Future Study
In summary, social networks due to Web 2.0 strengthen the political movements, which means that the social media provide to activists and citizens disclose political causes, to disseminate movements, to organise protests, to join sympathizers and to cross national and international borders, articulating with other groups of political movements online and on public space. Likewise, through alternative channels provided by the Internet, social movements are now able to articulate and guide, within broad virtual spaces, issues, and discussions that will not be presented only in traditional media. Therefore, it is extremely important to the existence of interactive communication provided by Web 2.0 that lead to new concepts of reflection on political reality. Furthermore, the internet and its platforms have become tools of social transformation and to reveal the collectivity of the discontent of each citizen. However, beyond recognize the necessity of interaction of digital media with the traditional media to maintain the effectivity of the dissemination of political groups, and also highlight the importance of constant reformulations in order to sustain a degree of continuity of respective approaches of political groups, it is noticed the importance of the Internet as the major tool of networking on political communities, which has been given power to society in order to end authoritarian regimes and corrupt elites as well the revolutionize the political environment.
References
Alsayyad, N & Guvenc, M. (2015). Virtual Uprisings: On the Interaction of New Social Media, Traditional Media Coverage and Urban Space during the Arab Spring.
Urban Studies, Vol.52(11), 2018-2034. Retrieved from:
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Gerbaudo, P. (2012). Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism.
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http://link.library.curtin.edu.au/p?pid=CUR_ALMA51153142430001951
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
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