As Mainstream and Alternative Media Converge?: Critical Perspectives from Asia on Online Media Development

Abstract

As boundaries blur between mainstream and alternative media online, with each taking on characteristics of the other, much research has centered on their convergence within the liberal West, and their continued divergence in authoritarian states like in the Middle East. This study uniquely examines this alternative-mainstream dichotomy in hybrid societies susceptible to Western liberal ideals but whose media systems are subjected to authoritarian control or influence, by examining Asia’s two global cities, Singapore and Hong Kong. Through in-depth interviews with online newsworkers, this study uncovers how they define “alternativeness” in the digital age and their assessments on how “alternative” their news outlets currently are or are able to become. By analyzing their content offerings, community and audience engagements, organizational structures, and ownership and control, results indicate that the online space has not caused a significant merge between alternative and mainstream media in these two cities. That said, the extent to which Hong Kong’s online-only news outlets are “alternative” is much more significant than in Singapore, particularly where political engagement is concerned. Additionally, what it means to “be alternative” is also vastly different, pointing to the need to acknowledge both differences in “how alternative” and “what alternative is” across contexts.