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 Alternative Media

We all use different news sources/outlets to receive our information on a day to day basis, but how often do we take the time to look at alternative media sources. According to oxfordreference.com Alternative Media is defined as, "media sources that differ from more mainstream or dominant spaces of media in terms of content, production, and/or distribution." I myself use various forms of media in my day to day life to receive news and information such as podcasts and social media.

Throughout my research and thanks to lectures in class I was able to explore to examples of alternative media which are, antiwar.com and theamericanconservative.com. Both websites really take the time to shine a spotlight on news that is typically outside of the mainstream as well as being considered news that the government would not want us to be knowledgeable about. Both also highlight and exercise their right of the First Amendment in a pretty effective manner while they also exercise the idea of independence from government control. 

These types of media sources typically tend to isolate what they about and correlate it to the normal content they produce like some tend to only focus on liberal based content while others gear towards a more conservative approach. With this being in mind, alternative media sources typically tend to have smaller audiences as compared to more mainstream options because mainstream options tend to have government approval and funding. Even on a global scale the idea of alternative media or independent media as some call it, has had growing opinions, and in Africa there was a study done by TNS Research (mediaupdate.co.za which conducted some kind of survey in South Africa and discovered that "73% of South Africans agreed that independent media houses are essential for getting unbiased news."

Just like all things of this nature, there are pros and cons when it comes to alternative media, especially as compared to mainstream media. On the pros side, alternative media typically provides a source or sources of unbiased news while also supporting Democracy, Utilizes other components for success such as utilizing not only print, but also sound, and motion/movement for effect, Allows individuals that feel unrepresented to shine and have the chance to convey their opinions and views on topics they want to focus on, and better representation for how diverse the world is now in terms of opinions and views. Now for the cons side there are two big ones that stand out which are, alternative media sources can put you at some kind of disadvantage or funding for ads, exposure time, and getting across your overall message, as well as running the risk for a spread of misinformation and fake news which would disrupt the typical flow with many different people having the opportunity to put out almost anything.