THE MANIFESTATION OF NEOLIBERALISM IN DIGITAL MIGRATION: AN EXTENSION OF HEGEMONY

Abstract

This article looks at the relationship between digital migration and neoliberalism. Labelled as a dominant hegemonic doctrine, this article argues how neoliberalism has become the dominant ideology that drives the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) pursuit of media diversity and pluralism, whilst simultaneously leveraging corporate interests. Using Malawi as a case study, this paper addresses how the neoliberal principles of laissez faire capitalism have travelled across political and economic lines and into communication policy to reveal that digital migration is safeguarding global corporate interests over the publics. Through an critical examination of the ITUs Guidelines for the Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting (2010) and the ICT Regulation Toolkit (2007), the principles of a free-market, deregulation, privatization, unrestricted competition and economic prosperity are employed to advance neoliberalism’s quest for expanding private interests. By theoretically revisiting Antonio Gramsci’s hegemony, this paper generates new analytical judgements that answer the research problem: Has the manifestation of neoliberalism in digital migration policy superseded the public’s interest for a diversified media landscape.