Public Participation Media
Public Participation Media has an enduring appeal for MCA researchers because it presents analysts with the opportunity to access an environment where ‘ordinary people’ negotiate their beliefs and opinions regarding everyday issues (Hutchby, 2001). This body of work includes analysis of radio phone-in shows (e.g. Fitzgerald and Housley, 2002; Housley 2002; Housley and Fitzgerald, 2002; Author and Author, date; Ohara and Saft, 2003) and televisions broadcasts (e.g. Bovet, 2009; Livingstone and Lunt, 1994; Myers, 2001; Tolson, 2001; Thornborrow 2000, 2007).
Livingstone and Lunt (1994) suggest that television talk shows are more commonly aimed at an ‘everyday’ audience, and therefore discourses of real-life experience are typically privileged over more abstract expertise. Another distinctive feature of television talk shows is the significance of the studio, and/or viewing audience, whose presence amplifies the publicly performative nature of the interaction (Thornborrow, 2007). Given our interest in the exploration of mundane category use and experiential expertise, television talk shows offer fruitful site for investigation.