The control of screens and collective imagination: TV news and contemporary activism in Portugal

Naíde Müller

Abstract

The deep crisis of confidence affecting advanced industrial democracies that extends to the new and more recent democracies is creating a fertile ground for the growth of "populisms” that can affect significant activist historical achievements regarding basic human and civil rights. The debates about how social networks are contributing to this reality reinforces the need to strengthen the basic institutional and democratic functions of traditional media. In Portugal and in Europe television remains the most common medium used by citizens to access information, so it is important to present citizens other possibilities for public participation with the capacity to assert a set of social "counter-powers". The production of fictional realities increased by digital environments can be seriously detrimental to some audiences and postmodern PR professionals will necessarily have to adopt a critical attitude and vigilant of "meaningless communication" patterns. This article presents preliminary data on the representation of contemporary activist movements in the television news of the four generalist Portuguese freeto-air channels and approaches the possibilities for media professionals, as symbolmakers in hyperreality contexts, on counteracting the tendencies towards the standardization of beliefs in ways that can contribute to help activists, who defend democratic values, to reach the television screens.

Translated title of the contribution	O controlo dos ecrãs e da imaginação coletiva: os noticiários de TV e o ativismo contemporâneo em Portugal
Original language	English
Number of pages	18
Publication status	Published - 12 Nov 2018
Event	II Jornadas Internacionais “Patologias e Disfunções da Democracia em Contexto Mediático” - Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal Duration: 12 Nov 2018 → 14 Nov 2018

Conference

Conference	II Jornadas Internacionais “Patologias e Disfunções da Democracia em Contexto Mediático”
Country/Territory	Portugal
City	Covilhã
Period	12/11/18 → 14/11/18

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Access to Document

102625063Final published version, 416 KBLicence: Unspecified

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/58727Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

@conference{92f12e128bcc4942915496852a1b87f4,

title = "The control of screens and collective imagination: TV news and contemporary activism in Portugal",

abstract = "The deep crisis of confidence affecting advanced industrial democracies that extends to the new and more recent democracies is creating a fertile ground for the growth of {"}populisms{\textquotedblright} that can affect significant activist historical achievements regarding basic human and civil rights. The debates about how social networks are contributing to this reality reinforces the need to strengthen the basic institutional and democratic functions of traditional media. In Portugal and in Europe television remains the most common medium used by citizens to access information, so it is important to present citizens other possibilities for public participation with the capacity to assert a set of social {"}counter-powers{"}. The production of fictional realities increased by digital environments can be seriously detrimental to some audiences and postmodern PR professionals will necessarily have to adopt a critical attitude and vigilant of {"}meaningless communication{"} patterns. This article presents preliminary data on the representation of contemporary activist movements in the television news of the four generalist Portuguese freeto-air channels and approaches the possibilities for media professionals, as symbolmakers in hyperreality contexts, on counteracting the tendencies towards the standardization of beliefs in ways that can contribute to help activists, who defend democratic values, to reach the television screens.",

keywords = "Democracy, Activism, Public relations, Media",

author = "Na{\'i}de M{\"u}ller",

year = "2018",

month = nov,

day = "12",

language = "English",

note = "II Jornadas Internacionais {\textquotedblleft}Patologias e Disfun{\c c}{\~o}es da Democracia em Contexto Medi{\'a}tico{\textquotedblright} ; Conference date: 12-11-2018 Through 14-11-2018",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - The control of screens and collective imagination

T2 - II Jornadas Internacionais “Patologias e Disfunções da Democracia em Contexto Mediático”

AU - Müller, Naíde

PY - 2018/11/12

Y1 - 2018/11/12

N2 - The deep crisis of confidence affecting advanced industrial democracies that extends to the new and more recent democracies is creating a fertile ground for the growth of "populisms” that can affect significant activist historical achievements regarding basic human and civil rights. The debates about how social networks are contributing to this reality reinforces the need to strengthen the basic institutional and democratic functions of traditional media. In Portugal and in Europe television remains the most common medium used by citizens to access information, so it is important to present citizens other possibilities for public participation with the capacity to assert a set of social "counter-powers". The production of fictional realities increased by digital environments can be seriously detrimental to some audiences and postmodern PR professionals will necessarily have to adopt a critical attitude and vigilant of "meaningless communication" patterns. This article presents preliminary data on the representation of contemporary activist movements in the television news of the four generalist Portuguese freeto-air channels and approaches the possibilities for media professionals, as symbolmakers in hyperreality contexts, on counteracting the tendencies towards the standardization of beliefs in ways that can contribute to help activists, who defend democratic values, to reach the television screens.

AB - The deep crisis of confidence affecting advanced industrial democracies that extends to the new and more recent democracies is creating a fertile ground for the growth of "populisms” that can affect significant activist historical achievements regarding basic human and civil rights. The debates about how social networks are contributing to this reality reinforces the need to strengthen the basic institutional and democratic functions of traditional media. In Portugal and in Europe television remains the most common medium used by citizens to access information, so it is important to present citizens other possibilities for public participation with the capacity to assert a set of social "counter-powers". The production of fictional realities increased by digital environments can be seriously detrimental to some audiences and postmodern PR professionals will necessarily have to adopt a critical attitude and vigilant of "meaningless communication" patterns. This article presents preliminary data on the representation of contemporary activist movements in the television news of the four generalist Portuguese freeto-air channels and approaches the possibilities for media professionals, as symbolmakers in hyperreality contexts, on counteracting the tendencies towards the standardization of beliefs in ways that can contribute to help activists, who defend democratic values, to reach the television screens.

KW - Democracy

KW - Activism

KW - Public relations

KW - Media

M3 - Abstract

Y2 - 12 November 2018 through 14 November 2018

ER -