Blog 9: EOTO Alternative Media

    Many rely on Fox, CNN, or other prominent news sources, however, there are alternative media to find news that the mainstream media does not provide. Alternative media is not owned by a business operation, syndicate, or government agency. Alternative media could include news sources like small websites, movies, e-magazines, social media, citizen journalism, etc. Something unique to alternative media is that it provides "underground" information. The mainstream media often avoid certain topics and the alternative media shines a light on them. 

    For example, in class, we had an assignment where we looked at anti-war websites. I had never previously heard a voice on anti-war because the mainstream media rarely (if ever) mentions an anti-war perspective. An alternative media, Liberation News states that the mainstream media is silencing anti-war voices. Why is this? The most probable reason is capitalism and the fact that the government wants the people to agree with and support their choices. The government only cares about money and status when it comes down to it. Alternative media exposes the government for this and shares anti-war voices. 

    A big subcategory of alternative media is citizen journalism. Citizen journalists are those that are not professional journalists but they use social media, blogs, and websites to spread information. So, writing this blog about alternative media could be considered an example of citizen journalism. As someone in Generation Z, I rely heavily on citizen journalism on social media for learning about what is going on in the world. 

      There are pros and cons to alternative media. One pro is that alternative media provides the opportunity for people to have freedom of speech. This is good because everyone can share their own perspectives without censorship or being controlled. Alternative media is also a positive because it allows people to be creative and express themselves. 

    However, there are some cons to alternative media. One con is that there is a bias and misinformation because alternative media does not have checks and balances the way that mainstream media does. This can lead to fake news and conspiracy theories which can harm the public. For example, the alternative media spread information that the 2020 election was rigged and that Trump should've won. This led a group of rioters to storm the capitol building, which lead to a lot of damage and multiple deaths. 

    Alternative media also has questionable sources so it is not very reliable for information. People can say whatever they want without regulation so it is difficult to decide if the information is true or not. 

 

   For example, I watched a YouTuber called Shane Dawson who could be considered a source of alternative media. He spreads conspiracy theories through his videos that can be very logical, however, he is not a reliable source because he does not have any credentials. 

    The most recent video I watched by him was mind-blowing. He claimed that the off-brand products are manufactured by the same people that create the on-brand products. He backed up his conclusion by stating that when the on-brand product gets recalled so does the off-brand product. One example he provided was that when the Jif peanut butter got recalled for salmonella so did the Peter Pan peanut butter.  He also bought off-brand and on-brand products and said that they tasted and looked the same even though one is much cheaper than the other. He claimed that companies do this to prevent competition with other companies. 

    Another claim he made in his video is that chain restaurants like Red Robin create fake local restaurants on Doordash and Postmates so that consumer is convinced that they are trying a new place. Dawson tested this theory by mobile ordering the same thing from three restaurants named "Red Robin," "Chicken Sammy's" and "Fresh Set." They all shared the same address and were delivered by the same guy. All the food looked the exact same and came in the same packaging. He also claimed that Chuck E. Cheese does this so that adults think they are ordering from a fancy pizza place, however, they receive Chuck E. Cheese pizza.

    Shane Dawson spreads new information to many people, but like all alternative media, it is difficult to know what is real and what is misinformation.