ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that mediation is a useful concept for thinking about unfolding manifestations of media activism. It provides a theoretical lens that insists on the cultural, social, political and historical specificities of the contexts in which communication processes create meaning and generate possibilities for social change. Mediation, therefore, accommodates broader thinking about media activism–and its constituent parts–in its broader spectrum as an intent, process, and action. Tackling mediated forms of activism through this tripartite notion captures the varied impulses that drive social change: the interplay between action and acting, horizontal and vertical dynamics, transformative and transactional outcomes, the interchanges between centers and margins, urban and rural communities, as well as the underpinnings of local and global forces. The chapter demonstrates a theoretical and methodological commitment that moves away from popular technological, political, commercial, or ahistorical determinations when discussing media activism in order to capture the complexities and richness of communication processes for social change.
