The on-line community media database RadioSwap as a translocal tool to broaden the communicative rhizome

Authors

  • Nico Carpentier VUB (Free University of Brussels)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS11200744

Keywords:

alternative media, translocality, rhizome, community media, participation, civil society

Abstract

The concept of 'community media' (CM) has proved to be, in its long theoretical and empirical tradition, highly elusive. This theoretical problem necessitates the use of different approaches to the definition of CM, which will allow for a complementary emphasis on different aspects of the identity of CM. This article uses a combination of four theoretical approaches as starting point: CM as serving the community, CM as an alternative to the mainstream, CM as part of civil society and CM as rhizome. This article then focuses on the fourth approach to analyze a project that aims to broaden the communicative rhizome by creating an on-line database, which allow for the exchange of locally produced content beyond the confinements of locality. RadioSwap enables program-makers all over the world to upload their content and/or download, listen to and re-broadcast content produced by others. Although still limited in its capacities, this database does allow produced media discourses to circulate, and offer an embryonic form of translocalism and socio-communicative change. Base de dados comunitária online como um instrumento translocal para expandir o rizoma comunicativo: o estudo de caso RadioSwap Na sua já longa tradição teórica e empírica, o conceito de ‘media comunitário’ (MC) tem provado ser vago. Este problema teórico requer o uso de diferentes abordagens na definição do conceito de MC, as quais permitam colocar a ênfase nos aspectos da identidade do MC. Como ponto de partida, este artigo propõe a combinação de quatro abordagens teóricas: MC ao serviço da comunidade, MC como alternativa ao mainstream, MC como parte da sociedade civil e MC como rizoma. Posteriormente, o artigo aprofunda a quarta abordagem, na qual se analisa um projecto cujo objectivo é o alargamento do rizoma comunicativo através da criação de uma base de dados online, a qual permite a troca de conteúdos produzidos localmente para além das fronteiras geográficas locais. RadioSwap permite que, em todo o mundo, os programadores carreguem e descarreguem os seus conteúdos, oiçam e (re)difundam conteúdos, além de produzir e difundir os seus próprios conteúdos. Apesar de ainda ser limitada nas suas capacidades, esta base de dados permite a circulação de discursos mediáticos produzidos e oferece uma forma embriónica de translocalismo e de mudança sócio-comunicativa.

Author Biography

Nico Carpentier, VUB (Free University of Brussels)

Nico Carpentier (PhD) is a media sociologist working at the Communication Studies Departments of the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He is co-director of the VUB research centre CEMESO and a board member of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA – formerly ECCR). His theoretical focus is on discourse theory, his research interests are situated in the relationship between media, journalism, politics and culture, especially towards social domains as war & conflict, ideology, participation and democracy. His publications include the following books and articles Médias et citoyens sur la même longueur d'onde. Initiatives journalistiques favorisant la participation citoyenne (2002, in Dutch & French); Community media: muting the democratic discourse (2003); BBC’s Video Nation as a participatory media practice (2003); Media in movement, 22 journalistic experiments to enhance citizen participation (2004, in Dutch & French); The ungraspable audience (ed.)(2004, combined Dutch & English); Identity, contingency and rigidity (2005); Towards a Sustainable Information Society. Deconstructing WSIS (ed.)(2005); Reclaiming the media: communication rights and democratic media roles (ed.)(2006); Researching media, democracy and participation (ed.)(2006) and Discourse Theory and Cultural Analysis. Media, Arts and Literature (ed.)(in press).

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Published

2007-04-22

How to Cite

Carpentier, N. (2007). The on-line community media database RadioSwap as a translocal tool to broaden the communicative rhizome. Observatorio (OBS*), 1(1). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS11200744

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2007)

Section

Articles

License

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