Meaning of Textual Poaching - Essay Example

Henry Jenkins (1988) drew extensively from this in explaining the concept of “textual poaching.” He established that for de Certeau, the way subordinate groups subvert the meaning of dominant cultural forms and how subaltern and oppressed social groups fashion a habitable cultural environment for themselves from the resources made available by the socially dominant forms of cultural production and distribution constitutes “textual poaching”.

Citing artifacts such as Star Trek and Star Wars, Jenkins points to how its followers became identified with a scandalous category in contemporary American culture, which provokes an excessive response from those committed to the interests of textual producers and the institutionalization of interpreters and the emergence of questions regarding the logic of by which others order their aesthetic experiences. (Jenkins, p. 471) Jenkins argues that instead of people branding the fans as cultural dupes, social misfits, mindless consumers, and other negative stereotypes, he suggested that they be called “textual poachers.”
2. What are the distinguishing features of the ' new media'? Do we need a new sociological theory to explain their social effects?

“Interactivity” is one of the most important features of the new media. For instance, Manuel Castells (1999) illustrated how conventional mass media is characterized by one-way, undifferentiated messages through a limited number of channels. The new media system, however, rides on the wonders of technology to accommodate the audience’s participation in effect, creating what Castells calls the “culture of real virtuality” phenomenon. According to him, “while, there is oligopolistic concentration of multimedia groups around the world, there is at the same time, market segmentation, and increasing interaction by and among the individuals that break up the uniformity of a mass audience.” (p. 403)

The above issue also brings us to the globalization of the new media and the diversification of the mass audience. New technologies transformed how newspapers and television content were written, edited, printed, and broadcasted which is from a considerable distance. What is significant here is that technology allows for simultaneous editions of media content tailored to varied areas. We cite gadgets such as Walkman and phones capable of photos and other multimedia content as responsible for changing the lifestyle and attitudes of people towards the media. McQuail (2000), for his part, cited computer-mediated communication in this light with its transient, multi-modal, and user-friendly content. (p. 129). These artifacts, in effect, alter the previously one-way flow of images and reintegrated life experience and the screen paving the way for the increase in diversification.

According to Castells, the new media has a significant effect on society. He particularly cited its fundamental effect on politics because the new media becomes a political tool and a political arena at the same time. (p. 404) And so, if we follow this line of thinking, there is a need to theorize about its effects because the new media is increasingly responsible for the emergence of the new social structure. Read More