Discuss Gillmor’s statement that “We Media’ is all media that is ‘homegrown’, local, organic and potentially counter-cultural” in reference to notions of democracy and using examples from two media that you have studied. An essay that explores how We Media Challenges the corporate stronghold

Introduction By using the words “potentially counter cultural” Gillmor was opening the debate of “We Media and Democracy” by using a far broader sense of democracy than just political. Big business rules the modern world and the media industry has such a powerful influence over our culture and our minds. ‘We Media’ makes the world more democratic by challenging the corporate stronghold of big business as well as the stranglehold of political dictatorships and theocracies.

What do we mean by ‘democracy?’ Aleks Krotoski The Virtual Revolution The Great Levelling (30/01/09) “The internet is a kind of rebellion giving Equal access, equal voice, equal potential” We Media gives people equal voice, equal access and equal potential to access media industries (e.g. news, music and film.)

Case Studies Remember to support all of your points with evidence (facts and figures) from the case studies - in this case corporate – wikipedia, music and film file sharing etc. versus the music and film industries etc. You must also have quotes from at least 3 theorists and be able to explain how their ideas relate to this essay question.

Homegrown User Generated Content – Produced by prosumers in their homes. This gives everyone equal voice, equal access and equal potential The traditional film and music industries are particularly challenged by the File-sharing on the social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube etc. Discuss these two industries (both as traditional media and We Media) using contemporary facts and figures.

Local Because it is UGC (produced by prosumers) We Media is local and can therefore respond directly and with immediacy to the needs of its particular audience. (Initially often sharing with facebook, blogging etc. with just family and friends) Again this gives equal voice, equal access and equal potential to both halves of the prosumers. The mainstream, traditional media are mass produced, often on an global level and often two or more years in advance. (e.g. films.)

Organic (1) We Media grows naturally – without controls imposed from above (by hierarchies and gatekeepers associated with traditional media.) e.g. Wikipedia as well as we media music and films shared on Youtube, facebook etc.) Charles Leadbeater We-Think 2008 “We-Think is at the heart of the reasons why the web should be good for democracy: by giving more people a voice and the ability to organise themselves; freedom, by giving more people the opportunity to be creative and equality, by allowing knowledge to be set free...”

Organic (2) Controls on traditional media often are about making profits e.g. advertising. We Media is usually free (of cost) and although it may carry advertising (e.g. popular vlogs), the needs of the advertisers cannot really affect the content or can they?

Potentially counter cultural The gatekeepers, especially, with the music industry, would rather repeat known formulas than experiment so they will reject unknowns and new music etc. How far can programmes like The Voice therefore be called We Media? “To preserve their business models, which are increasingly outmoded in a digital age, they would restrict innovation and, ultimately, the kinds of creativity on which they founded their own businesses.” Dan Gillmor We the Media 2005

Conclusion 1 There are several arguments against We Media being good for democracy e.g. for We media giving equal voice there is the cacophony argument and therefore with everyone talking at once we will not hear anything, for We media giving equal access there is the argument about the need for quality, trust and authenticity which cannot be guaranteed with blogs etc. and for We media giving equal potential there is the argument that media professionals will lose their jobs and therefore (for example) good journalism will not get funded and we will not find out the truth about a lot of things happening in the world. (Explain these arguments and give Leadbeater’s replies.)  

Conclusion 2 Lee Siegel The Virtual Revolution – “The old hierarchies still there. They are just scrambling to adapt themselves to this new situation.” The traditional media has long-established systems to incorporate any new challenging forms into mainstream culture thereby creating a shift in the hegemony to include a new consensus. Is it likely that any perceived challenge to the corporate stronghold can have any long lasting effect? What of the future?