Between online activism and civic journalism? On Czech and Slovak participatory audiences

MACEK, Jakub and Alena MACKOVÁ. Between online activism and civic journalism? On Czech and Slovak participatory audiences. In 7th CEECOM Conference, Wroclaw. 2014.

Basic information

• Original name: Between online activism and civic journalism? On Czech and Slovak participatory audiences
• Authors: MACEK, Jakub and Alena MACKOVÁ.
• Edition: 7th CEECOM Conference, Wroclaw, 2014.

Other information

• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret

Abstract

Current upheaval of participatory audiences using for their political, cultural and generally public engagement so called social media is usually covered by concepts of civic journalism and online activism. More than anything else these concepts reflect thematic standpoints of the academic disciplines of media studies on the one hand political science on the other - with their emphasize on production and circulation of content (in case of media studies and the concept of civic journalism) or on political action (in case of political science and the concept of online activism). In the evidence-based presentation, we intend to suggest (1) that the field of audiences' agency covered by these concepts is more complex than these concepts imply and draws on more motivations than 'doing journalism' or 'doing democracy', (2) that these two concepts do not exclude each other since they in many cases describe the same agency from different theoretical position and (3) that the focus just on the 'journalistic' and 'activist' dimension of the agency is simplifying and makes some segments of the participatory audiences simply invisible. (4) Moreover, we will argue that the participatory audiences share some more general features that go beyond the prevailing conceptual frameworks. The presentation is based on data from six qualitative pilot inquiries that were conducted on Masaryk University in 2012-2013 and dealt with Czech and Slovak new media audiences and specifically with issues of activism, civic journalism and subcultural life.

Links

• GP13-15684P, research and development project: Name: Nová a stará média v každodenním životě: mediální publika v čase proměny mediálních praxí

Investor: Czech Science Foundation, New and old media in everyday life: media audiences at the time of transforming media uses

• MUNI/A/0903/2013, interní kód MU: Name: Proměna veřejné a politické participace v kontextu měnících se mediálních technologií a praxí

Investor: Masaryk University, Category A