“Alternative communication networks, framing and he construction of
political power”
Mayra Martínez Avidad. PhD CandidateUniversity Complutense of Madrid.
Theoretical framework
Power
Conceptualization of power as a dynamic construction of meaning (Foucault, 1970) & (Gramsci,1971)
Ability of shaping the minds of people around specific frameworks
Counter-Power Fighting to change the meanings that reflect dominant interest and replaces
them with alternative discourses
Media discourse is part of the process which people construct meaning
Two key process by which media actively set the frames of reference that audience use to interpret public events:
1. Agenda setting: media force attention to certain issues by giving special prominence and space to certain issues
2. Framing: media influence how we think about the issues by giving a particular view on specific issues
Administration
Other Elites
Media
News Frames
Public
Entmant’s Cascading Network Activation (2004)
HypothesisThe ability of the public to feed back to the media frames
and, therefore, to influence political elites has been expanded by the advent of the Internet and mobile
communications
Virtual NetworksMass self-communication
(Castells, 2009)
Individual frames
Collective frames
Administration
Other Elites
Media
News Frames
Public
Alternative Networks
The public have now the opportunity to use social networks to produce its own messages that potentially challenge official frames that may change power relations in the media sphere
Revised model on Framing in International Issues
Case study11-M terror
attacks in Madrid 2004
Government officials framed the attacks as ETA was
responsible for
them
11-M 12-M
The government
lost its control over ETA
authorship frame
13-M
The conservative
ruling party lost the general elections
14-M
Timeline
Framing of the authorship in Spanish Press
Content Analysis Results
Framing of the authorship by Other Elites (media
coverage)
Framing of the Authorship in Alternative Communication Networks
3/11/043/12/04
3/13/04
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
ETA authorshipframe
AlQaedaauthorship frame
Source: Roig & López (2005)
Internet and text messaging offered the public, not just the virtual space to share and unify their own frames and interpretations, but the tool to organize and execute peaceful protest in the physical world, which ultimately made possible the counter-frame to have an impact in the media sphere.
How did this interpretation influence media frames?
General Conclusions
• The way political elite -given their privileged access to media- had been able to impose their own definitions of reality in the media sphere, is now countered by the new public’s ability to gain media attention around their own messages and interpretations.
• Alternative communication networks are counter-power tools in people’s hands used to construct contra-frames which are able to defeat those frames that reflect the interest of the ruling class.
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