Media and Community Building: Literature Review

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Literature Review

From Portapak To Camcorder: A Brief History Of Guerrilla Television
by Deirdre Boyle
&
The Future of Independent Media
By Andrew Blau

In From Portapack to Camcorder a Brief History of Guerilla Television author Deirdre Boyle chronicles the emergence of independent media, beginning in 1965 when video equipment became accessible and portable. The advent of this new, portable video equipment meant that anyone could become politically and socially engaged, and challenge the information infrastructure (Boyle).

Out of this new freedom several underground video groups emerged as leaders of the underground video movement. Videofreex, People's Video Theater, Global Village, and Raindance Corporation were among those providing research and development strategies.
By the 1970’s underground video had matured into a more polished movement, with an outlined plan to decentralize television so that people had better access to create and broadcast their own content. (Boyle) Around the same time, federal rules mandated for public access television stations to be provided by cable systems and federal funding became available for video from government and private sources.

The competitive struggle for funding ultimately divided the underground video movement into two factions; community access advocates and guerilla television producers. TVTV was one of the guerilla television groups to come out of the split, making history by covering the 1972 political conventions. The portable equipment they used gave them freedom and access to move about the convention catching many off guarded moments among convention goers that was both informative and entertaining.

Community access and guerrilla television continued to grow and evolve throughout the seventies, and faced adversity in the 1980’s from a new trend in conservatism that affected their sources of funding and forced video makers to discover new directions.

Currently, community access and guerilla television producers and video activists face even more adversity in securing funding and support for community access television, but despite opposition from politicians and government, and in some cases low interest from the communities they serve, they continue to strive for an atmosphere of freedom and open dialogue available to all who wish to participate.

The Future of Independent Media, by Andre Blau takes the story of independent media from where it has been to where it is heading. Blau claims that media is moving into an era of unprecedented flexibility and opportunity. The technologies available to video advocates are constantly becoming better, cheaper and more widely available.

A higher value is being placed on independent film and media, with cable channels like IFC and Sundance devoted to bringing independent products to the cable audience. In addition to rapidly evolving technology we have access to, there is a communal aspect to watching media that our new technology greatly enhances. The ability to watch a documentary on television and then be able to log onto the corresponding website allows for a far greater level of audience participation and empowers viewers and enhances democratic values.

Because of the higher value being placed on independent media projects, and the constantly changing technology it is uncertain where the future of independent media lies. The flow of ideas and communications will converge to take it to the next level of development in the field of independent media.

Bibliography

Blau, A. The Future of Independent Media.
Boyle, D. From Portapack to Camcorder a Brief History of Guerilla Television.

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Working Definition of Community

Being a member of a community isn’t always easy. In a world where friends can be a click away but a thousand miles apart, where you can be next to someone but can’t talk except via instant messaging, and where you don’t know your neighbors next door but you do know intimate details about your friends across the country on Myspace, a venture into community requires a trust in an unrelated network of people.

Whether communities are defined by geographical boundaries or by the categorization of who belongs to a community and who does not, both are essentially the same, as Cohen suggests “boundary marking processes and rituals are a vital tool for defining community, identity, belonging and exclusion, and give a sense of reality to specific communities, although in fact they are merely mental or social constructs of insiders and outsiders”.

In addition to the idea of community being a group of people with a common interest, be it geographical location, social clubs, religious beliefs or ethnicity, communities can also be influenced by external events beyond their control. With the current economic situation it seems like there’s more call for help and more people in need of support and assistance. In chapter 1 of Community-ariasm, Smith explains how the term community is both shaping and being shaped by society itself, in an endless loop or re-creation. Economic situations, new technologies, available education, and social opportunities are just some of the factors that can contribute to the way in which communities are shaped, and if they are sustainable or if they will eventually die out.

Even a concept as malleable as community has a common thread, however. In the various readings and articles we have covered so far, the idea of community being a vehicle for self-actualization is touched on repeatedly. One of the key benefits people get from participating in community and their reciprocal relationships is a sense of belonging that is a part of their individual identity. “People construct community symbolically, making it a resource and repository of meaning, and a referent of their identity’ (Cohen 1985: 118).

Another defining aspect, which also contributes to the constant flux of the definition of community, is that even though individuals can experience a sense of self through them, often communities are more than just the people who are in it. A community can continue to exist even as its individual members move through it, and as new members enter into it, the community itself can remain rather unchanged.

Aristotle tells us that community requires different kinds of capacity, interest and character among its members because through the interplay of diversities, people are able to serve as compliments of one another and to attain a higher and better life by the mutual exchange of different services. The phrase “sense of community” begins to get at this meaning. It refers to a sharing of common beliefs that involves a connection at a more personal or emotional level. Words like “passion,” “devotion,” and “commitment” also come to mind when discussing the concept “sense of community.”

It is usually assumed that when people feel that they belong to a community, they have an active interest in ensuring that it functions well and are more likely to contribute to the well-being of the community. The emphasis on a collective well-being over individuals is a large part of Community-ariasm which has a focus of interest toward communities and societies and away from the individual. Smith’s explains in Chapter 3 of Community-ariasm that as long ago as 1955 George Hillery listed some 94 definitions of community he had found in the social science literature, and concluded that the only thing they all held in common was a reference to people.

From our class readings so far, it is evident that the definition of community continues to shift and evolve, and the introduction of modern communication methods, i.e. instant messaging, internet, cell phones, etc. have contributed significantly to the rapidly changing idea of community on a global scale. Even with the constant change and the difficulty in defining exactly what community is, it seems clear that the strength of ties between the groups, no matter what the subject matter is, is truly the essence of definition of community.

Works Cited:
Smith, G "Community - arianism" Chapter One: Community; ideology and utopia
Cohen, A. P. (1985) The Symbolic Construction of Community, London: Tavistock (now Routledge). 128 pages.

Media and Community Building Conclusion

The boundaries of Community can sometimes be drawn on a map, other times it is a category of people or characteristics of members. (Smith) As a communication tool, community media is beginning to adapt to emerging technologies and the ever-sharpening interactive features online. As a result, community boundaries continue to change and realign, creating a new generation of members with a constantly-evolving sense of community.

In this enviornment, the media landscape will be reshaped by the bottom-up energy of media created by amateurs and hobbyists. (Blau) As an empowerment tool, it is among the poor and oppressed especially, that community becomes a means to group solidarity and mutual help. (Smith) Because Community Media is able to operate independent of traditional corporate influences, public access to Community Media is vital to the democratic health of a community.

Community Media is an effective means of citizens interacting with community leaders and politicians, and an invaluable tool for holding them accountable when necessary. Community Media is also a gateway for the enrichment of educational opportunities for community members who do not have private access to new technologies or who need assistance in utilizing them. The future of Community Media is an exciting prospect, as new technology allows for the dissemination of information with an immediacy never seen before, as well as a rapidly evolving web that features more and more interactive features for the consumer.

All of these exciting technologies require us – the consumers- to be well educated and informed as to who the source of the content is, as well as hone our abilities to discern for ourselves which of these technologies adds value to our individual lives and which don’t.

Works Cited:
Smith, G; Community-arainism, Chapter 1
Blau, Andrew; The Future of Independent Media, Sept. 2004

Media and Community Building

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Literature Review

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New Bedford, Massachusetts

Working Definition of Community

Media and Community Building Conclusion

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