ABSTRACT
The technological innovation of contemporary forms of communication – from Internet, DVD players, downloading music, blog sites, multi-channel television, real-time global communication and digital cameras – has been one of the most startling developments of modern times. Ours is the first media saturated society. Yet it is very easy to get carried away with a sense of change and transformation. This chapter argues that if the media landscape has indeed changed and is continuing to change, there is no need to assume that the critical project pressing for a radical democratisation of the media of mass communication take has entirely altered. Key questions remain germane. To what extent do the media of mass communications aim to foster democratic and critical identities amongst citizens? Are citizens encouraged to view the media as a means of democratic communication, or alternatively are they positioned as passive consumers of information within a centrally controlled communication system whose priorities are largely determined by the respective roles of the economic system and the state? Can media serve as voices for civic protest, alternative perspectives and projects other than those sanctioned by the powerful and influential?
