1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? How did new and digital media create a different story? What does the police officer's subsequent aquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media?
The traditional, hegemonic view of the police in this case would be that they are in control and should project their own way of seeing the world so that those who are controlled by it, the public, must accept what they say as the truth. So when they said that police medics and an ambulance crew tried to save his life after he collapsed but were marred by protesters throwing missiles as first aid was administered, they expected the audience to believe what they said as true.
However new and digital media created a different story as a New York lawyer sent a video that he had made to the Guardian which was then published on its websites and made available on YouTube. The video showed a different story because it showed that the police's version was not true as the policeman Simon Harwood was seen on the video attacking Tomlinson.
The fact that the police officer got away with it shows that the ruling class has the power over the people even when facts and proof are being shown. They have the power to decide what is just and unjust and have the power to control situations like these.
2) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0?
The author suggests that Web 2.0 has not switched power from the producers to the audience just yet but the balance has shifted. We no longer have to rely on the token access that traditional media offered us and now we can produce texts ourselves. The author claims that it is to still too early to say that hegemony is being challenged by web 2.0 as it is only the early days of user-generate content. Over the next few years, it may be able to offer a larger impact especially upon the internet. Injustices can be challenged more easily; but the problem of political, and legal, controls will be harder to surmount.
3) In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?
Personally, I think that new and digital media gives the audience a platform to challenge them. As seen with the Ian Tomlinson case, the ruling class did not state the truth and even when a user-generated video was posted and viewed by the world, no one was brought to justice. However this was back in 2009. If we take back further we can see that in the case of Blair Peach in April 1979, no one has been charged with his case due to the lack of new and digital media to provide proof. Nowadays it is getting easier to challenge the hegemonic views because more and more user-generated news is being provided. The balance is now shifting as the police are now being forced by the public slightly to compromise and bring justice and truth. Since technology has evolved into something great, user-generated videos are now clear and provide enough evidence to show justice and show the wrongdoings of the dominant view. Due to this, more and more of the audience have the opportunity to challenge the dominant hegemonic view by posting videos on YouTube or sending them to certain newspapers so that that everything that the elite people say is not viewed as the total truth and that the lies that are covered are coming into the light.
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