NEW MEDIA AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE FIFTH ESTATE OF THE REALM

Abstract

The advent of new media technologies has significantly transformed the communication landscape and reshaped human experiences, globally. The evolution of public discourse and democratic engagement has facilitated the emergence of new media as the fifth estate of the realm. Layered upon the traditional fourth estate (the press), new media channels - driven by digitally networked individuals and groups - have largely sidestepped propaganda and governmental control, to curate participatory communication, real-time mobilisation, and drive advocacy for attitudinal re-orientation and community development. This study adopts a qualitative methodology using a descriptive approach and is underpinned by the Networked Public Sphere Theory (Yochai Benkler) and Media Convergence Theory (Henry Jenkins). It interrogates the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and WhatsApp in facilitating hashtag activism (#), video call-outs, podcasts, photographs, animations, text-based content and live streaming to share real-time information and reactions for mass mobilisation. These practices activate citizen journalism by upholding the principle of collective intelligence, expanding democratic participation and amplifying marginalised voices through the connection of local issues to global audiences. The findings underscore the necessity for virtual complementation of traditional communication systems, as new media has become a crucial alternative platform for civic engagement and social change - towering as a formidable stratum in the power structure and social hierarchy of the society, and thus deserving recognition as the fifth estate of the realm.