The next five years of Civil Media

The three-way relationship between civil awareness, social movements and digital libraries

Not so long ago one would turn on the television to find sob stories, bloody events, commercialization, a deluge of celebrity anecdotes, and other such trivial information. Apart from this, Taiwan society under traditional media felt isolated and sealed-off very much like earlier periods of isolationism, one could go so far as to say Taiwan was even an information-less society supervised by the government and safeguarding the fourth estate rights of the media. Following on with the Want Want China Times Group merger case dictated by market interests earlier this year, media has been kidnapped and turned into the weapon in the businessman’s sheath. Long devoid of public discussion and varied voices, the media’s conduct is not in the least bit credible, and instead stoops to sullying the name of the vulnerable and weak. But there is a group of people who hold on to the concept of civil awareness, penetrating the injustices at the lowest rungs of society and social movements.  They are a group of citizens’ journalists, independent media and alternative media that see what others don’t see, and examine what others don’t

Awakening the civil consciousness that has been forgotten

Shedding off the previous passive dependence on mainstream media, and upholding the principles of justice, the existence of this group of citizen journalists and independent media has two main functions.  The first is to give rise to a diversity of voices, the second is to present the main characters behind traditional media supervision. They attempt to be non-mainstream, fringe-orientated, and give a voice to the economically and politically marginalized.  Through the production of citizens’ news, through Internet technology and the strength of social networking, progress will be made towards influencing many members of the masses spiritually weakened by mainstream media, helping them to finally understand public affairs and become aware of their own rights, and thereby awakening a “civil awareness”. Recorded media related to civil movements would be recorded to databases (henceforth called Civil Media). Planned presenter Guan Zhong-xiang thinks that the relationship between the awakened civil awareness, and citizen journalists and independent media, would be one of mutual influence and investigation:

 “Each time we come across a negligent item of mainstream news, we will of course go ourselves to cover it. In the past we would perhaps believe that the voice of mainstream media upholds justice, but this is a passive dependant way of thinking that life’s problems may be resolved. Slowly the emergence of civil awareness allows people to conceive of many instances where they themselves could take part, rather than awaiting the arrival of “the Savior”. “This is not merely an awakening of civil awareness in itself.  Rather it is because the civil awareness has already been awakened that we may find this voice of civil awareness, of rights, and of cultural power; all of which are being grasped by oneself rather than waiting for others. After the rise of this voice, even more people may understand public affairs and have awareness of their own rights, and before long the masses will be instead be influenced by citizens news.  This is a kind of relationship based on investigation and mutual influence.”

Consequently, civil awareness within this evolving, investigative course of events will gradually ferment, and then blossom into every corner of Taiwan. For example, the public topics of discussion over recent years; “Movement for the Preservation of Lo Sheng Sanatorium”, the [peasant protest] “Dabu Incident”,  “Kuokuang Petrochemical Development Case”, “Wen Lin Yuan” [tenement building case, and the “Want Want China Case”, and other such incidents neglected by mainstream media will finally be disseminated through internet platforms and coverage by citizen journalists, and will facilitate a united uprising of social movements on the street.  These civil movements not only embody the awakening of civil awareness,  but they also promote the possibility of societal dialogue. Guan Zhong-xiang mentions that:

 “A crucial point in the development of a country’s society lies in how developed its social movements are. Because social movements are a form of controlled chaos, as well as an important mechanism for society to passionately reflect, investigate, and even push for new ideologies and a way of thinking; if you want to know whether a society has the ability to advance, one should observe whether there is the possibility for this society to rise up”. From this way of looking at things, civil movements are a result of civil awareness, as well as a source of the advancement of civil society.

The importance and the future of collecting Civil Media
If one were to say that civil awareness is a key asset in being a citizen, then citizens’ movements are a key cultural, social, and public asset in establishing a democratic society, and are both a cultural acknowledgement of the state of society, as well as a collective historical memory. Through the mechanism of collecting Civil Media, the masses are not only able to realize the importance of citizens’ movements in the democratic process, but are also able to reconstruct a small-scale version of civil society. However, the Civil Media plan and its determination to record the citizens’ movements of the past five years will come to an end in July 2012.

Over the past five years, Civil Media has produced close to 1,500 news reports on citizens’ movements, as well as devoting energy to the cultivation of citizen journalists, with many of those who were originally participating as students at conferences taking up a position as a citizen journalist, or becoming another part of the Civil Media plan, continuing to devote their energy to the popularization of civil awareness and recording citizens’ movements. For example, citizen journalist at the [peasant protest] Dabu Incident Da Baolong, or one member of the Civil Media production team Chen Jiafeng, both of whom strived to achieve results in addition to Civil Media’s primary goal in pursuing collection value, but whose results may be subsequently fed back into and accumulated within the resources of Civil Media.

However, with a shortage of government funding to help balance the books, what will happen to Civil Media over the next five years? Presenter Guan Zhong-xiang has proposed a plan of co-operation with the South Taiwan Film Association, as well as making attempts to apply for funds or raise money to carry on the Civil Media platform’s way of life. As one may well imagine, with a shortage of funds, Civil Database has no way of providing production workers with a steady salary, and of course it has no way of producing a steady output. Therefore the main plan of recording civil movements is also facing great challenges.

However, almost all non-profit organizations that search for cultural and societal worth are bound to face the same problems of existence. As a living collection of independent media and civil movements, Civil Media’s cultural and social worth is also of economic benefit. Yet faced with the orientation of culture and economics towards the goals of growth and industry in recent years, will it be possible for the rich cultural basis and strong societal mission of Civil Media to guide its popular development? This will be a cruel test of the true worth of Civil Media’s collection value under the most rigorous of marketplace evaluation mechanisms.