Abstract
Each time a new communication medium is introduced and reaches relative generalization, it creates new balances and articulations among the existing media, thus reconfiguring the whole mediatic and communicational landscape (Bolter and Grusin, 2000; Jenkins, 2006). In contemporary society, two types of media with totally different characteristics and op - erating logics coexist, articulate and converge among themselves � massmedia and social media � resulting in a new way of communicating, describes by Manuel Castells (2009) as mass-self communication. Within public relations, several authors recognize a transition from asymmetric communica - tion theories and models, in which organizations publicize information a strongly control their messages, to more symmetric conversation and dialogic models that are emerging as a consequence of PR professionals using social media as communication channels and tools (Kunsch, 2003; Solis and Breakenridge, 2009; Scott, 2010; Macnamara and Zerfass, 2012). Although most of these authors highlight the loss of control over their messages that or - ganizations are undergoing, others explore the emergence of new power balances that are not necessarily symmetric or equalitarian (Edwards and Hodges, 2001; Coombs and Holladay, 2012; Dutta, Ban and Pal, 2012). This paper explores civic movements as an example of the new articulations among mass - media and social media that emerging, as well as new power balances between the public, media and politic agendas (McCombs and Shaw, 1972). Using qualitative methods, this paper empirically explores the recent civic movements against austerity in Portugal, that culminated with the demonstrations �Geracao a Rasca� [�Precarious� Generation] (12th March 2011) and �Que se lixe a Troika!: Queremos as nossas vidas� [Screw Troika! We want our lives back] (15th September 2012), discussing the articulation of massmedia and social media that was done both by citizens and communication professionals (PRs and journalists, as well the rol
Highlights
Each time a new communication medium is introduced and reaches relative generalization, it creates new balances and articulations among the existing media, reconfiguring the whole mediatic and communicational landscape (Bolter and Grusin, 2000; Jenkins, 2006)
Civic movements have been using social media as a publicizing and mobilization tool for their causes, and as a way to get the attention of mass media, placing the issues they intend in the mass media agenda
This paper explores the articulation between mass media and social media, focusing on the civic movements against austerity in Portugal “Geração à Rasca” [‘Precarious’ Generation] and “Que se Lixe a Troika!” [Screw Torika!]
Summary
Each time a new communication medium is introduced and reaches relative generalization, it creates new balances and articulations among the existing media, reconfiguring the whole mediatic and communicational landscape (Bolter and Grusin, 2000; Jenkins, 2006). This paper’s theoretical framework combines contributions from media theory, organizational theory and sociology to explore the articulation of mass media and social media in the creation, publicizing, journalistic coverage and social impact of civic activism, studying in particular the Portuguese civic movements against austerity “Geração à Rasca” [‘Precarious’ Generation] and “Que se Lixe a Troika!” [ScrewTroika!] These movements are approached as case studies, explored in the scope of a theoretical framework that combines, within media theory, Bolter and Grusin’s (2001) concept of remediation and Castells’ (2009) concept of mass-self communication; within organizational theory, contributions from several authors that advocate a paradigmatic change from asymmetric to symmetric organizational communication models, in public relations (e.g. Kunsh, 2001; Cornelissen, 2011; Breakenridge, 2012); and, within sociology, Castells’ (2012) approach to the social impact of civic movements, which the author argues that are potentiated by social media. They have in common the transition from analog to digital technologies and the change from a massified broadcasting logic to a personalized dialogical logic
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