"Chapter 1 defines ‘alternative and activist media’, and considers the need for non-mainstream publications. It introduces the populations who seek out or create alternative media: socially marginalised or dissenting groups, subcultures and others who inhabit liminal spaces, and people who want access to information not available through the mass media. It will also examine the ‘information for action’ orientation of much alternative media, which places it in opposition to the mass media’s ‘information for consumption’. Chapter 2 puts the emergence and persistence of alternative and activist media in context, calling into question media analysis that looks strictly at mass media, and posing the possibility and reality of counterhegemonic actions and actors. It includes an overview of key theorists as regards alternative media and media activism. Chapter 3 looks specifically at media participation and consumption by marginalised audiences. The following five chapters look at alternative and activist media formats and rationales in the realms of radio, video, film, print, and digital media, concentrating on real-world practices and projects. In Chapter 9, the border between alternative and activist media and the mass media is probed, revealing areas of contention, reflection, and recuperation. Chapter 10 concludes this exploration with a look at the future, based on an examination of current trends and technologies." (Preface, p. ix)