Transcript Living with Media in times of GlobalizationAn Everyday Perspective

Living with Media in times
of Globalization
An Everyday Perspective upon Media and the Global Divide
Thomas Tufte, Roskilde University
Nordic Panel on Global Divides
IAMCR World Congress
Stockholm, 24 July 2008
Research Questions
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What sorts of divides are people
experiencing in everyday life
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How can they engage and participate
to overcome these divides?
Rural Malawi: Media Access
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One of the worlds poorest countries
TV a novelty (since 1996) – irregular and poor quality
programming. Inaccesible in rural areas
Radio widespread – but batteries are expensive!
’Video parlours’ – informal cinemas where young men
watch action film and pornography
Growing, but still very limited telephone access
Internet: inaccesible in rural areas
Strong local cultural traditions
Mediated everyday life – a new and still to be
explored experience
Favela Brazil: News Disconnects
and Genre Proximity
Strong media environment – world’s
largest producer of tv-series in the 1990s
 Massive access to media
 World record in social inequality
 Strong socio-economic marginalization
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Low-income women: Irrelevant news
broadcast and highly relevant telenovelas
Immigrant Denmark: Mediated
Social Exclusion
Strong public service media tradition, incl early
legal support to local media production
 7-8% immigrant community/MANY origins
 Complete media access, incl sattelite tv, internet,
mobile phones, etc
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Ethnic minority youth: Strong feelings of
mis-representation
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How can they engage and participate
to overcome these divides?
Malawi:
Civil society exploring radio drama
 Connecting to communication dialogue
sessions
 Developing advocacy strategies
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Brazil
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Strong civil society interacting with
representation of social issues in
telenovelas; widespread community
media…potential for further exploration of
Civic Media Advocacy
Denmark
Local tv and radio production; Turkish
music radio, Arab TV in Danish (ATV)
 Public service broadcasting studies,
policies of representation, programming
priorities
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Bridging the divides
– principles of action?
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‘The role of the media and of
communication structures at all levels
(community, sub-regional, national, regional and
international) is inextricably bound up with
how citizens understand and engage in
democratic life. The rights and capacities of
people, particularly those living in poverty, to
voice their own perspective and have them
heard in public debate, particularly through the
media, are increasingly recognized as critical to
effective governance’ (James Deane 2008: 161)
Challenges
Experiences
 Variety of different experiences – very localized experiences
 Media experiences closely associated with development challenges
Citizen Action
 Polysemic sense-making and beyond: Linking understanding and agency
 Communication for social change in a variety of forms but driven by similar
principles of empowerment
Decision Makers
 Renewed attention to listening to citizens and audiences (community
conversations, listener studies, info and communication audits): potential
for enhanced media development strategies