Voice of the Voiceless : Grassroots Participation in Television and Internet Development Projects

Abstract

The emphasis on extensive participation by receivers and beneficiaries in the development discourse emerged during the 1980s and has been continued and consolidated in the following two decades. Simultaneously, newer mass media have been introduced and increasingly used in development work. Receiver participation has become an important aspect also in these development projects. There is currently a wide consensus among media and development scholars on the need for grassroots participation in creating the media content in development countries. The main problem for discussion in this thesis is how communication and newer media, such as television and the Internet, can contribute to social development through grassroots participation. This subject is exemplified and illustrated by the participatory communication methods of the Sri Lankan NGO Worldview International Foundation. The cases analysed indicate that implementing newer mass media for grassroots participation purposes is very challenging due to the economic resources, technical resources and knowledge required.