Chileans Media Practices and Media Pluralism From the Bottom-Up

• In Event: Socializing the News, Connecting to Public Issues? Exploring Audiences’ Media Practices in Four Countries

Abstract

Media are spaces where actors fight to make visible their demands and interests (Thompson 1998). At the same, media act as crucial resource of information for understanding the social world (Couldry et. al 2007), and a spur to political engagement (Norris 2001). But how do people establish a public connection with public affairs? How do their evaluations of media affect their involvement with media products like news and information? Based on a practice approach, focusing on individuals’ media practices and contexts (Couldry 2012), this paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study based on diaries recording individuals’ perspectives on public issues, as well as in-depth interviews across six regions in Chile (N=36). The article explores actors’ practices and definitions about varied media platforms, placing them in their everyday contexts, analyzing the strategies and discourses through which people relate to media and evaluate its performance.

Authors

• Arturo Arriagada, Universidad Diego Portales

• Teresa Correa, Universidad Diego Portales

• Andres Scherman, U Diego Portales