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Online Communication
Chapter 9
Carving Alternative Spaces
Online Communication
In this chapter, you will learn:

A definition for discursive resistance;

The distinction between place and space;

The strategies of agonistic and utopian rhetoric;

A definition for hate sites; and

The advantages the Internet provides hate groups.
Online Communication
discursive resistance:
a process through which text, oral,
nonverbal communication, and other
forms of meaning-making are
employed to image alternatives to
dominant power structures
Online Communication
Place vs. Space
place:
a location which formalizes, authorizes, and
renders permanent the processes through
which dominant interests maintain their
influence over individuals or groups
space:
a tactical response to a place through individual
or group rearticulation of its intended use
Online Communication
Intentional vs. Ad-hoc Communities
intentional communities:
planned organizations of individuals to
accomplish some goal or maintain some
lifestyle
ad-hoc communities:
communities of individuals brought together by
an unforeseen event
Online Communication
Resisting through Agonistic Rhetoric
agonistic rhetoric:
discourse that produces or invokes ritualized
conflict with an established order
Example:
A shadow page such as “K-Mart
Sucks,” which attempts to invoke
feelings of guilt and ultimately
achieve redemption
Online Communication
Resisting through Utopian Rhetoric
utopian rhetoric:
discourse that imagines an ideal world that is
distant from the real world in time and/or place
in order to critique the contemporary social
order
Example: A parody site such as “GWBush.com,”
which seeks to reveal the
imperfections of the dominant order
through ridicule
Online Communication
Utopian Rhetoric

Absurdity

Community

Social Order
Online Communication
social realism:
the use of empirical data to examine
computerization as it is actually
practiced and experienced
Online Communication
Hate Sites
A hate site “advocates violence
against or unreasonable hostility
toward those persons or
organizations identified by their race,
religion, national origin, sexual
orientation, gender, or disability.”
<http://www.tolerance.org>
Online Communication
Internet Advantages for Hate Groups

Community
 Anonymity

Outreach

Commerce

Information
Anti-Defamation League. (1999). Poisoning the web: Hatred online.
<http://www.adl.org/frames/front_poisoning.html>.
Online Communication
A Brief Review
1. What is the function of discursive resistance?
2. What is the distinction between place and space?
3. How does agonistic rhetoric seek to persuade?
4. What three features are common in utopian rhetoric?
5. What five advantages do hate groups see to using
the Internet?