The report on Latino Congreso 2011 reveals how a group of Latino community scholars are forging conversations regarding media justice (internet freedom) to address larger societal problems. These conversations have empowered and inspired Latinos to strategize on how to solve these inequalities.
The report is here: http://centerformediajustice.org/2011/03/27/and-life-and-the-people-neve…
The author observes a unique phenomenon in this group’s mobilization process:
Indeed, the National Latino Congreso is just like any other people-centered grassroots movement–yet that’s what makes it unique. With the hypnotization of mass corporation marketing out the window, the refreshing honesty and transparency of these community members allowed for productive conversation and identification of needs and solutions. This observation reminds me of Downing’s claim on media firms’ awareness of their ‘active audiences’ as well as his endorsement on describing audiences as ‘active media users’ rather than consumers. In other words, media firms should acknowledge that their audience are not merely passive consumers of marketing baggage who will eat up anything that is presented or available to them, but also an interactive contingency who will influence the molding of media products.
Based on their conversations on media inequality, the Latino Congreso is fully aware that ‘advertisers [of firms] see audiences as being there to be persuaded and seduced–if necessary by sophisticated low key methods that do not insult their intelligence –but not empowered.” Yet this is exactly what they are seeking to disprove; they are indeed an active audience. This pairing of the Latino Congreso to the definition of ‘active audience/media users’ is also supported by Downing’s argument that with this redefinition, the audience is no longer a homogenous group of actual media users who are uncritical and blindly accepting, but rather, they are becoming activists who are part of social movements that police media content and availability.
According to Downing, the Latino Congreso is considered to be a part of ‘popular culture’ as a component of radical alternative media. The group does not demonstrate a radical use of media technology but rather, returns to the most basic of media forms–face to face conversations. In turn, the Latino Congreso has become producers of radical media, ushering others to acknowledge an issue that has not been studied much (internet inequality) but is oct in need of more analysis and discussion.
The efforts of the Latino Congreso can also be categorized as a ‘counterhedgemony’ that challenges dominant frameworks of mass media corporations and to provide an alternative voice by working to generate discussion in public debate. According to Downing’s analysis of Antonio Gramsci’s findings, “the role of radical media can be seen as trying to disrupt the silence, to counter the lies, to provide the truth.” This is exactly what the Latino Congreso is seeking to do by addressing their lack of representation and speak back.