“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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