This activity made everything so much clearer to me. I almost believe the term "cascading" is a bit of a misnomer as that indicates there is solely a trickling down or passing on of information from the origin eventually to the general public. While such action happens, this doesn't indicate the level of reciprocity there is in the process. As a member of NHM, I initially believed that my power lied in how I conveyed what was originating at the government level. This was true to a certain extent, NHM also had a significant level of agency in embarking on their own projects which had the power of shifting the direction of the discourse as well as adding to it. NHM also was able to generate information that was sought out by other media and had a sort of trickling down effect. Overall, the LA Freeway model was what I observed happening with information originating at various points and the transfer of it going in every direction you could imagine. I thoroughly enjoyed the activity and would love to do it again in some more of my classes.
Questions of the Week- Who had the greatest amount of agency out of all the actors?
- Why was NHM's role important?
Question Answered: Who had the greatest amount of agency out of all the actors?
I'm not sure if this question has a simple answer. Initially, I would have said the government. The power they have to shift public opinion is remarkable as their dialogue could change how you view a particular subject. But through this activity, I realized that you only know what the media allows you to know. Through much of the underhanded, back alley communication that was going on, it's questionable how much we really know about specific events as media will tell what they want to tell keeping their own interests in mind.
