Networks bypass set up intermediaries by methods of multi-polar structures of interaction (and synergy) (Mercier, 2008). In his findings of neo-activism on the web (Dufrasne et al, 2014). Granjon indicates that the dynamics of a network or system reconfigures the connection between the individual and the hierarchy, and between the base and the top, advancing a “reticular erratic” model distinguished by “a relationship of defiance towards the classical representative model based on the lasting delegation of authority to elected representatives” (Granjon, 2001, pp.38).

Moreover, in regards to the development of identity among the Muslim diaspora, Mandaville (2001) demonstrated that the Internet encourages the statement of minority voices (especially among youthful individuals) who, through personal websites or blogs and online discussions or forums, compete with the official discourse of the official delegates of the community (Dufrasne et al, 2014). Conclusively, a network is at play here, like the fact that individuals or gatherings try to moderate the “random nature of the circulation of information” (Granjon, 2001) when traditional go-betweens oversee it (Dufrasne et al, 2014). “Asserting meaning in the place of established intermediaries, providing one’s own frameworks of interpretation, and becoming an opinion leader means entering into competition with the traditional vertical structures of information emission, to encourage, instead, an alternative scene of public appearance, built on a more horizontal network of information exchange” (Granjon, 2001, pp.117).h

The Arab Spring protests display the network form of activity, seen here as a method for bypassing official media intermediaries (Jenkins, 2002). In a setting of exacerbated oversight, non-conformists delivered and shared data through alternative channels that relied primarily upon via web-based networking media (Jenkins, 2006). Concerning Tunisia, Ben Henda (2011, pp.159) underscored the “relay role played by virtual communities transmitting information in real time, braving the State censorship apparatus”. For this situation, we are more disposed to discuss networks than communities (Dufrasne et al, 2014).

The act of downloading is similar to that of a network when, as Evans (2011) uncovered, it communicates distrust of media organisations, particularly in regards to American series: media foundations may postpone their broadcast, change their appearing without prior notice, or even unexpectedly choose to stop broadcasting them (Jenkins, 2002). Downloading enables users to battle this vulnerability and arbitrariness through vital, horizontal, and multipolar connections (Jensens, 2010). The sharing key to the network form of activity is generally firmly connected to the bypassing of media intermediaries (Jenkins, 2006). In an examination on the social dissemination of news information, Jouët and Le Caroff (2013, pp.153-154) noticed “the growing autonomy of the circulation and reception of news from digital media spaces filtering into private networks”. We can likewise refer to the crowd-funding framework, the rule of which is likewise based on the ability to bypass established necessary decision-making and financing associations, for example, record labels and banks (Jenkins, 2002). By going about as a network, the general population or individuals interested within an undertaking or project can thus be able to contribute to its creation and dissemination (Dufrasne et al, 2014).

References:

Dufrasne, M, Libbrecht, E, and Patriarche, G, 2014, Conceptualizing the Diversity of Media Practices, Réseaux, vol. 5 no.187, pp.195-232.

Evans, E, 2011, Transmedia Television, Audiences, New Media, and Daily Life, 1st ed., New York, Routledge, pp.120-220. 

Henda, M, B, 2011, The Role of the Internet in the Tunisian Revolution, Hermès, La Revue, vol 1, no 1, pp.159-160.

Granjon, F, 2001, L’internet militant, Mouvement social et usages des réseaux télématiques, Rennes, Apogée.

Jenkins, H, 2002, “The poachers and the Stormtroopers: Cultural convergence in the digital age”, in P, Le Guern, ed., Les cultes médiatiques, Culture fan et œuvres cultes, Rennes, France, Presses universitaires de Rennes, pp. 343-378.

Jenkins, H, 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York, New York University Press.

Jensens, K, B, 2010, Media Convergence: The Three Degrees of Network, Mass and Interpersonal Communication, 1st ed., London, Routledge, pp.78-208. 

Jouet J, Le Caroff, C, 2013, “L’actualité politique et la participation en ligne”, in Jouët J, Rieffel R. ed., S’informer à l’ère numérique, Rennes, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, pp. 117-157.

Mandaville, P, 2001, “Reimagining Islam in diaspora, The politics of mediated community”, in Gazette, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 169-186.

Mercier, P, A, 2008, “Liens faibles sur courants faibles, Réseaux sociaux et technologies de communication”, in Informations sociales, no. 147, pp. 20-31.