Web 2.0 – Participation or Hegemony? SUMMARY

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM39_Participation_Web2_hegemony.html

Nick Lacey explores whether Web 2.0 has really democratised our access to the media, and switched the power from producers to audiences, or whether it has simply become absorbed into the values of ‘old media’. He talks about the power the consumers now have, eg the Ian Tomlinson case which is the political issue.

We – the audience – no longer have to rely upon the token ‘access’ traditional media offered us, such as newspapers’ letter pages or radio phone-ins. Today we can easily produce texts ourselves, even if we seem to be more interested in mimicking traditional media by becoming YouTube celebrities, or watching music videos and/or television programmes by favourite artists.