Diverse roles of alternative media in Hong Kong civil society: from public discourse initiation to social activism

Abstract

This is an interdisciplinary article, integrating Political Science and Media Studies to examine the roles of alternative media (AM) in civil society. AM plays diverse, overlapping and interacting roles in civil society, namely (1) providing alternative information and to serve as (2) an alternative public sphere, (3) a platform for social activists and civil society organizations, (4) an initiator of public discourse and (5) an agent of civil society activism. This article explores the different roles such media plays by conducting a case study of In-media, an online AM in Hong Kong, through an evaluation of its functions in civil society and in the political arena.

Keywords:

• alternative media
• civil society
• politics
• social activism
• Hong Kong

Acknowledgements

We thank Fung-ping Lee for her research assistance. We also thank Dr. Sima Sengupta for critical reading and editing of this article.

Notes

^1. The former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

^2. HOS was a scheme of building subsidized flats for sale in Hong Kong. The government will re-introduce HOS in the near future.

^3. Housing Authority is responsible for the building of PRH and HOS flats in Hong Kong.

^4. One of the aims of In-media is to nurture a public space that is independent of political power, corporations and political parties.