Participation and Advocacy in Community Media By Robert Watson Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, De Montfort University, September 2017 Participation and Advocacy in Community Media Robert Watson Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, De Montfort University, September 2017. Abstract Community media is less well funded, supported and researched than other forms of media, and yet it holds considerable potential as a transformative experience and as an agent for social change. This thesis explores how the process of participation in community media represents an opportunity for reinvigorated democratic and civic conversations about issues of concern to local communities, par- ticularly in relation to the idea of participation and advocacy. This thesis contests mainstream media studies discourse by asserting that it is in paying attention to the lived experience and the accomplishments of people acting in lifeworlds and intimate social net- works, rather than simply looking at texts, legal frameworks and institutions, that it is possible to de- velop a wider understanding of changes in media and digital media production situations, particu- larly those defined by notions of participation, activism and agency. The study uses an ethnographically-informed mixed-methods design that incorporates participant observation, interviews and reflexive engagement. It is founded on principles of pragmatically in- formed symbolic interactionism, which suggest that it is possible to attend to the unfolding of hu- man actions and understandings as they are accomplished in the collective expression of community life that are shaped by neutral social processes. This thesis therefore contributes to an underdeveloped area of media analysis, signalling opportuni- ties for further study and evaluation of the developments of community media at a time of signifi- cant change and social reorientation. Acknowledgements I wish to thank Bernd Stahl and Andrew Clay for supporting me. I wish to thank John Coster and Tina Barton for their encouragement, Ian Davis for his grit, and Dee Bahra for her acumen. Thanks also to Simon Parker, James Black, and all the other community media volunteers who made me feel wel- come and talked with me. I am grateful to Ken Clegg for providing regular pots of tea. This task would not have been possible, however, without the love and encouragement of my mother, Norma, who is a patient listener and a good friend. Teddy would have been proud. Participation and Advocacy in Community Media Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... i Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................... v Table of Tables ............................................................................................................................ vi 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Addressing the Research Question ......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Practical Focus......................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Research Summary Statement................................................................................................ 3 1.4 Research Question .................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 Thesis Structure ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.6 Findings ................................................................................................................................... 7 1.7 Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 8 1.8 Contribution to Knowledge ..................................................................................................... 9 2 Literature Review – Why Study Community Media .............................................................. 11 2.1 Methods and Structures ....................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Community Media Scholarship ............................................................................................. 14 2.3 New Media Challenges.......................................................................................................... 15 2.4 Structuring Principles ............................................................................................................ 17 2.5 Notions of Utility ................................................................................................................... 18 2.6 Grassroots Media .................................................................................................................. 18 2.7 Quotidian Media ................................................................................................................... 19 2.8 Communities or Publics?....................................................................................................... 20 2.9 Beyond Mass Media .............................................................................................................. 21 2.10 Social Needs .......................................................................................................................... 22 2.11 Citizens Media ....................................................................................................................... 22 2.12 Access to Resources .............................................................................................................. 24 2.13 Patterns of Representation ................................................................................................... 25 2.14 Access Media ........................................................................................................................ 26 2.15 Community Belonging ........................................................................................................... 27 2.16 Enacted Identities ................................................................................................................. 29 2.17 Summary – Community Media Issues ................................................................................... 29 3 Discussion – Frameworks of Participation ............................................................................ 33 3.1 Adapting Blumer ................................................................................................................... 33 3.2 Causative Conditions ............................................................................................................. 34 3.3 Empirical Observation ........................................................................................................... 36 3.4 Critiquing Participation ......................................................................................................... 38 3.5 Counter-Hegemonic Approaches .......................................................................................... 38 3.5.1 Challenging Subordination ............................................................................................ 40 3.5.2 Critical Transaction ....................................................................................................... 41 3.6 Community Development Approaches ................................................................................. 43 3.6.1 Renewing Community Structures ................................................................................. 44 3.6.2 Ecological Sustainability ................................................................................................ 45 3.6.3 Managed Disruption ..................................................................................................... 46 3.6.4 Ecological Perspectives ................................................................................................. 47 3.7 Citizen Media Forms of Engagement .................................................................................... 49 i 3.7.1 Civic Regimes................................................................................................................. 51 3.8 Techno-Centric Participation ................................................................................................ 52 3.8.1 Sticky Media .................................................................................................................. 54 3.8.2 Beyond Resource Rationing .......................................................................................... 56 3.9 Rhizomatic Media ................................................................................................................. 57 3.10 Summary - Participatory Ethic .............................................................................................. 59 4 Addressing the Research Question ...................................................................................... 63 4.1 Practical Focus......................................................................................................................