The active pleasures of expression and communication

Abstract

Based on Lull’s recent book «Culture-on-Demand: Communication in a Crisis World» (2007) and on the author’s view of audiences as active participants in all forms of human communication, this article argues for the place of human expression and symbolic power in contemporary media and cultural studies. It also discusses how modern communication technology reinforces and extends the expressive potential of ordinary citizens in the normative contexts of everyday life. This contribution introduces the concept of cultural open sourcing as fundamental to the increasing democratization of communication processes and distribution of social power ona global scale..