Abstract
In the post-COVID-19 era, digital empowerment has become significant, especially with reference to media messages and communication technologies being used to financially empower citizens. As past histories of media are leaving behind a legacy of analog and archaic forms of media content creation, new technologies are building the ‘media archaeology' of past traditions, heritages, epistemologies to generate meanings, and dialogue for new means of storytelling, thereby preserving heritage in ‘digital formats'. The study has some broader mission and objectives with more specific research questions: What are the key themes of digital literacy among community radio practitioners? Which theoretical frameworks can define digital literacy? What are the different tools of digital empowerment? Is there an emerging ‘empowering relationship' among women content creators and consumers?
TopLiterature Review
Haggart (2019) persuasively argues that the whole of our being (including mood and confidentiality of the personal) is now subject to collection, processing, deduction, and crucially marketization. In such a ‘political economy’ of digital platforms, community radio stations produce content that create a civic infrastructure (Horrigan & Schement, 2021) which empowers women by making them content producers and educating other women consumers in the process.
The study mentions that consumers’ love for mobile devices, and viewing with privacy along with their glocal content are the main reasons they prefer digital platforms. Hence such digital platforms become the voice of several citizens indulging in participatory communication leading to positive social change and generating ‘cultural meanings’ that promote heritages and new paradigms in cultural theories.
Rodriguez (2001) proposes that such media is a form of ‘citizens’ media’ where ordinary people gain control and stay immersed through continuous experiences of such environments of ‘mediascape’. As past histories of media are leaving behind a legacy of analog and archaic forms of media content creation, new technologies are building the ‘media archaeology’ of past traditions, heritages, epistemologies to generate meanings and dialogue for new means of storytelling thereby preserving heritage in ‘digital formats’.
The study has some broader mission and objectives with more specific research questions as discussed below.
TopTechnological Determinism
Ripp & Hauer (2017) are of the view that technological determinism forms the basis for society’s transformation. Toffler understood technology to be a determinant of all of society’s changes, he believed it still had the major impact on human psyche when he wrote about the ‘shock of the future’ (Toffler, 1980). Other theorists mention ‘new media’ as the field of computing, computer technologies, and associated data contents primarily applying to technology-determined (Ripp & Hauer, 2017). Manovich (2001) mentions five principles that determine the definition of new media- numerical representation, modularity, automatization, variability and transcoding. Levy (1988) argues that while technology determines the nature of society, it is also a product of society and culture. This goes on to tell us that technology and new media is a cause and effect of the society and culture we see around us.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Mobile Storytelling: This refers to narratives which are created, generated and consumed on mobile devices remotely.
Digital Curation: This refers to digitally saving and curating content for further use by others. These maybe in the form of art, videos, audio files and other formats.
User-Generated Content: This refers to content on media platforms that is created and generated by users, where users are content creators and consumers simultaneously.
Media Archaeology: It refers to histories and outdated forms of media tools, equipment, techniques, production processes which are preserved on digital platforms generating a repository of new age digital media tools.
Digital Empowerment: This term denotes the empowerment of citizens through digital means and tools, either in the media or generally through the internet.
Citizen Media: This refers to media that is used by citizens to exchange messages and create content which is further used by other citizens, essentially referring to social media platforms and user-generated content.