Iranian Weblogs as Alternative and Citizens’ Media ---

This paper considers how weblogs may be representative of a form of alternative and citizens’-based media. Alternative and citizens’-based media are often described in part as not-for-profit organizations and projects that can serve as sites of social, cultural, and political contestation and promote active civic participation and democratic practices in contrast to mainstream media. Textual analyses of two Iranian weblogs were conducted in order to determine how weblogs may be situated within the existing literature and area of alternative and citizens’ media. The study reveals that while on the one hand weblogs weaken traditional boundaries and dichotomies typically associated with mainstream and alternative media, they share similar traits with alternative and citizens’-based media and show signs of facilitating spaces where democratic and civic practices and activities can take shape. --- . . . . .