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The Interaction Between Citizen Media and the Mainstream Media Media Organisation in Egypt During 2011, 2012 & 2013

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The Interaction Between Citizen Media and the Mainstream Media Media Organisation in Egypt During 2011, 2012 & 2013 BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY The Interaction Between Citizen Media and the Mainstream Media Media Organisation in Egypt during 2011, 2012 & 2013 77,000 Words Noha Atef Supervisors: Prof. Tim Wall Dr. Dima Saber Submitted to the Faculty of Art, Design and Media at Birmingham City University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy I declare that this is a true copy of the examined manuscript of my PhD thesis in 17th January, 2017, which was further submitted on 10th March, 2017 with minor changes approved by the examiners. 1 Abstract THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CITIZEN MEDIA AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA Media Organisation of Egypt during 2011, 2012 & 2013 This research explores the mutual influences between citizen media and the mainstream media, through studying two phenomena occurred in Egypt during the years 2011, 2012 and 2013; which are the institutionalisation of citizen journalism and the employment of a number of citizen journalists in the mainstream media. The thesis answers the question: What is the nature of interaction between citizen media and the mainstream media? I argue that the citizen media -mainstream media interaction is driven by the medium, which is the social media, the media organizer; or the individuals who control the media outlet, either by having editorial authority, such as Editors-in-chief, or owning it. In addition, the mass media are another driver of the interaction between citizen media and the mainstream media. Plus, the relationship between the citizens of the state and the political regime too, it influence the convergence and divergence of citizen media and the mainstream media. And in the authoritarian regime, such as Egypt, where the state controls these three sides, it becomes the focal point of interaction between citizen media and the mainstream media. 2 Table of Contents I declare that this is a true copy of the examined manuscript of my PhD thesis in 17th January, 2017, which was further submitted on 10th March, 2017 with minor changes approved by the examiners. ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 THEORATICAL FRAMEWORK: THEORISING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CITIZEN MEDIA AND MAINSTREAM MEDIA ............................................................................................ 19 Defining Mainstream and Citizen Media...................................................................................... 23 Social Media and Social Networking Sites (SNSs) ........................................................................ 28 Media Institutionalisation ............................................................................................................ 32 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................................ 34 I. THEORISING THE ROLE OF THE MEDIUM IN A MEDIA ORGANISATION ................................... 34 The Medium and the Message ..................................................................................................... 36 The Medium and Users ................................................................................................................ 43 The Medium and Content ............................................................................................................ 48 II. THEORISING THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE MEDIA ORGANISATION ................................... 52 Conceiving Media Systems ........................................................................................................... 56 From Normative to Comparative ................................................................................................. 60 Ethnocentric Media Systems? ...................................................................................................... 63 ‘Arab’ Media Systems ................................................................................................................... 65 The Egyptian Media System ......................................................................................................... 71 III. THE EGYPTIAN CITIZEN MEDIA BEFORE 2011 ...................................................................... 76 Pre-2011 Egyptian Citizens and the Medium ............................................................................... 77 Pre-2011 Citizen Media and the State ......................................................................................... 80 Pre-2011 Interaction between Citizen Media and Mainstream Media ....................................... 83 The Role of Journo-Bloggers ........................................................................................................ 87 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 94 1. Research Plan ....................................................................................................................... 96 a. Research Approach .......................................................................................................... 96 b. Primary Sources ................................................................................................................ 98 c. Secondary Resources ..................................................................................................... 100 d. Data Collection ............................................................................................................... 101 2. Research Methods.............................................................................................................. 104 a. Observation .................................................................................................................... 104 b. Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 106 3 c. Collective Interviews/Focus Group ................................................................................ 111 3. Data Documentation .......................................................................................................... 113 4. Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 113 a. Samples .......................................................................................................................... 114 b. People ............................................................................................................................. 114 5. Research Validity and Reliability ........................................................................................ 115 6. Ethical considerations ........................................................................................................ 117 a. The Researcher and Participants’ Safety ........................................................................ 117 b. Data protection .............................................................................................................. 119 c. Neutrality........................................................................................................................ 120 d. Sensitivity ....................................................................................................................... 121 e. Reciprocal Gain ............................................................................................................... 121 f. Consent Forms................................................................................................................ 122 FINDINGS ........................................................................................................................................ 124 I. THE EMPLOYMENT OF CITIZEN JOURNALISTS IN THE EGYPTIAN MAINSTREAM MEDIA ....... 124 1- How Citizen Journalists are employed by Mainstream Media .............................................. 126 2- How Citizen Journalists Lived the Experience of being Employed in the Mainstream Media .................................................................................................................................................... 134 3- The Implications of Mainstream Media Recruiting Citizen Journalists .................................. 139 Concluding points ....................................................................................................................... 147 II. THE INSTITUIONLISATION OF EGYPT CITIZEN MEDIA ............................................................ 149 1- How Egypt Citizen Media was Institutionalised ................................................................. 151 2- How Citizen Journalists Lived the Experience of the Institutionalisation of Citizen Media ... 160 2- Implications of the Institutionalisation of Citizen Media ................................................... 171 Concluding Points ....................................................................................................................... 176 III. THE DRIVERS OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CITIZEN MEDIA AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
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