Graeme Turner, an Australian academic, has recently published his findings of a three-year research project into the world of Australian talkback radio. Reading about the report (it is only available via subscription), it occurred to me that Turner’s insights into talkback radio have some relevance to those of us thinking about the implications of social media in general.
When it is at it’s best, Turner found, talkback radio is similar to a current affairs programe. It can
provide a democratic forum for the community…and act as a reliable filter for listeners trying to come to grips with an increasingly complex world.
Sydney Morning Herald
Not unlike blogs and podcasts. We use these media in exactly the same way. There are certain bloggers and podcasters that have earned a level of trust and respect and so we rely on their integrity and judgement when we (increasingly) give them our attention.
However, this is a report into talkback radio, so the real interest is not in the heroes, but the villains. And, in Alan Jones, Australia has a talkback villain to be proud of. Naturally, Turner doesn’t call Jones a villain, he prefers the term “ugly.” Ugly presenters are those
seeking to exploit personal power in order to build influence and authority without regard to social consequences…They are prepared to use media power ruthlessly, even irresponsibly…
To get a feel for the sort of abuse of power that Turner is talking about here, and perhaps to appreciate the significance of the epithet “ugly,” you might want to take a look at the transcripts of some of Jones’ programmes in the lead up to the Cronulla race riots in December 2005. It is quite terrifying.
For a forensic examination of the complex world of talkback radio, I recommend David Foster Wallace’s brilliant essay in the Atlantic Monthly, Host.
Ugly blogging
Unfortunately, this sort of atrocious behaviour has already manifest itself in the blogosphere. On the same day I read Turner’s report, there was this post on Kathy Sierra’s blog about the reason why she had to withdraw from speaking at a conference: death threats.
Yes, death threats. Not a hoax. Not a juvenile prank. Many of us here in Wellington have a connection to Kathy: she presented at Webstock last year and (hopefully) will be out here again in a couple of months for GOVIS.
It sort of takes some of the gloss off the concept of social media as a tool to change the world, doesn’t it? We are, of course, not immune to this sort of thing, and the reality of all this is that it is social media, with all that the name implies.
Photo: BBC
