EOTO 2

Alternative Media 

    The topic I was assigned for each one teach-one presentation was alternative media. Alternative media is defined as small-scale, politically radical media using a wide spectrum of communication technologies and formats. Essentially, alternative media is a smaller-scale platform like a website, podcast, YouTube channel, etc., offering a different opinion than you may typically see in mainstream media. Like everything else in life, alternative media has its positives, and it has its negatives. It is important to compare each pro to its con to really see the impact alternative media has.

Pros and Cons 

    On the positive side, it offers a platform for marginalized voices to be heard. These voices are typically

trumped by mainstream media, however, this should not be the case. Secondly, it provides an opportunity for communities to make their own media and offers educational and political empowerment to participants. Additionally, alternative media can serve as a counterpoint to the misinformation spread by corporate media. On the flip side,  political alternative media may contribute to less informed people due to the misinformation that can be spread in their work. Also, the ease of media production in today's society can raise concerns about the effectiveness of alternative media, as well as a lack of professional standards.

Effects on Society 

    When it comes to affecting society as a whole, alternative media covers and popularizes topics that mainstream tends to not cover at all or cover less than others. For example, mainstream media would never discuss a war they didn't support or be a part of. While alternative media outlets like antiwar.com have hundreds of antiwar articles written. So, alternative media can affect groups that are the minority when it comes to political or other world matters. This includes Political and ethnic minorities, labor groups, underprivileged groups, etc. These groups of people typically are underrepresented and overlooked. However, alternative media allows a platform for the news we consume to be more diverse and alternative viewpoints. When asked the question of how alternative media affect different groups of

people whether that is old or young, rich or poor, male or female, I believe alternative media affects every person differently based on what media they consume. For example, I was having a hard time was having a tough time figuring out what kind of alternative media I consume the most. It finally hit me that the alternative media I consume the most comes from the sports world. I use several other websites outside of companies like ESPN or Yahoo Sports to collect my information. A few examples include companies like WalterPicks, Talkin' Yanks, Jomboy Media, and several others.

Closing Remarks 

    Overall, I believe alternative media is a net win for the community. If mainstream media does not want to cover a view on a topic, someone has to provide different perspectives. I think the beauty of alternative media is it can be so personalized to what your likes or dislikes are and allows you to consume more media the way you like to. I believe multiple viewpoints on one topic create competitive thinking and challenge the reader to truly think about what they see every day on the news.