Women's experiences of on-line e-zine publication

Abstract

The use of e-zines by women writers is a developing medium. Thirty-nine e-zine authors were interviewed by email (structured questions and free discussion) to explore their motivations, opinions and experiences of publishing on-line. The interviews yielded information on a number of themes: communication; construction of identity; the e-zine as a political space. The e-zine authors considered that, despite the prejudices that exist on the web, they were making a difference by forming networks of likeminded individuals to discuss and evaluate personal and political issues. It also became clear from the interviews that the Internet neither marginalizes nor liberates traditionally under-represented groups, such as women, but is an accurate reflection of society and the outside world.

Arab Americans’ Motives for Using the Internet as a Functional Media Alternative and Their Perceptions of U.S. Public Opinion

“…Doing so would explain why correspondence was the second‐most reported internet activity by respondents in the present study, which included chatting and belonging to listservs, which may be considered online communities. Such an interpretation is in line with Cresser et al’s (2001, p. 459) finding that women authors published internet e‐zines because they “allow space for creative female expression that is perceived to be unavailable in dominant mainstream media,” as well as Mitra’s (2004) study showing how marginalized South Asian women used a web site to express their voice.…”

“…The emergence and adoption of the internet as an alternative medium for obtaining diverse information may well play a crucial role in the political survival of marginalized groups in U.S. society (and elsewhere), including Arab Americans. Moreover, in line with Cresser et al’s (2001) research, Arab Americans may act in the same manner as other marginalized groups in U.S. society by using media to fulfill their interpersonal needs. Therefore, the second research question posed was:…”

“…The systematic and continuous vilification of Arabs and Arab Americans by U.S. mainstream media potentially marginalizes Arab Americans and may lead them to search for alternative sources of news and information. Given the availability of the internet as an unregulated medium, it might serve as such a source, and, similar to other marginalized groups (see, e.g., Cresser, Gunn, & Balme, 2001; Mehra, Merkel, & Bishop, 2004; Mitra, 2004), as a means of meeting Arab Americans’ needs. This exploratory study, therefore, examines Arab Americans’ motives for using the internet and whether the internet serves, for them, as a functional alternative to other media, especially for those who perceive the U.S. public as holding negative opinions on issues important to Arab Americans.…”

“…As another example of the internet’s democratic potential, Cresser et al (2001) studied women’s motives for publishing e‐zines (online magazines) and concluded that they use e‐zines to discuss issues they perceive to be “newsworthy” as a result of their under‐representation (or misrepresentation) in mainstream media. This liberating experience with e‐zines provided the women studied with an “alternative forum” to “construct their identity, formulate their ideals, and build a community of support by networking with like‐minded individuals” (Cresser et al, p. 464).…”

Rave and Straightedge, the Virtual and the Real

“…In Notes from the Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture, Duncombe (1997) provides a series of clarifications to some of McRobbie and Thornton's points, describing how "zinesters" and affiliated subcultures are prepolitical groups-groups that are made up of people who have not yet found, or have only begun to find, a specific language through which to express their aspirations about the world. Cresser, Gunn, and Balme's (2001) research on female zinesters points to the political potential of CMC, and how the cultural aspirations of online resisters cannot be fully realized in cyberspace. In this way, zinesters (i.e., those who produce, publish, and distribute noncommercial, nonprofessional, small-circulation magazines) are akin to the niche and micromedia producers identified by McRobbie and Thornton.…”