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Applying sociological theories to digital forms of communication (Feminist…
Applying sociological theories to digital forms of communication
Marxist
Evaluation
Not unified - companies in competition
Used by global capitalist corporations
Ruling class (allows politicians who represent wealthy/privileged to rule) brings about cultural hegemony
Narrow range of 'approved' views/knowledge with the result that 'alternative'/critical points of view are rarely heard/dismissed as too extremist
'Muting' of those who have genuine grievances with way capitalism is organised - little attempt to protect poor/powerless online - state has put very little legislation into place to regulate how personal information is used
Individual freedom/privacy/liberty are under attack
Feminist
Evaluation
Women may still be subjected to sexism/abuse/threats
Internet may help disseminate feminist ideas more widely but it also does the same for its polar opposite - women-hating views posted by male trolls
Green & Singleton - online communities that are most popular with women users may merely reinforce the patriarchal notion that women should perform emotional work of maintaining family relationships
In hands of transnational corporations mainly owned by men, despite the fact that women use social media platforms more than men
Show women in 'narrow' light/suggest their achievements are less important than their looks/bodies
Haraway - assumed females aren't interested in technology which allows males to dominate it
Haraway - anonymity allows women to transcend an oppressed identity/adopt cyborg identities which mix male/female attributes so that neither dominate
Cochrane - empowering/popular/reactive feminist movements online (women's voices no longer muted)
'Inter-sectional' form of feminism (multiple oppressions intersect to bring about misogyny/patriarchal institutions)
Postmodernist
Media transnationals have used digital communications technology to remove distinction between global/local/to increase consumer choice in range of knowledge/entertainment available for consumption
Fragmentation of knowledge/encouraged people to see that there are multiple interpretations/truths, all of which have some relative value
People are no longer content to inherit fixed identities. Social media networks/virtual communities offer people plurality of identities to choose/consume from so people subvert from traditional forms of identity
Audiences are immersed in so much information that they find it difficult to distinguish between real life/hyper-reality