Digital Audio as a Tool for the Self-Representation of Marginalized Communities in the Global Context

Miki Dalmau-Pastor
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Miki Dalmau-Pastor: Universitat de Barcelona - Spain

Global Digital Culture & Communication, 2025, vol. 2, 11

Abstract: The growth of digital media has profoundly transformed the ways in which marginalized communities produce and disseminate their narratives. In particular, digital audio including podcasts, online community radio, and sound narratives has established itself as an accessible tool for cultural representation and social participation. This study analyzes how marginalized communities use digital audio platforms to tell their own stories and challenge dominant narratives in the global context. A mixed methodological approach based on content analysis of 120 community audio productions published between 2018 and 2025 in different regions (Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia) was adopted, complemented by semi-structured interviews with 30 community producers. The results show that digital audio facilitates the construction of collective identities, the strengthening of cultural memory and the generation of participatory spaces where historically excluded groups can express their experiences. Likewise, it is observed that sound narratives make it possible to overcome technological and economic barriers that traditionally limited access to mass media. However, challenges related to the sustainability of projects, visibility on digital platforms and inequality in access to technological infrastructure also emerge. The study concludes that digital audio represents a significant mechanism of communicative empowerment, allowing marginalized communities to redefine their social representations and actively participate in the global public sphere. These findings contribute to the field of digital communication and participatory media studies, offering empirical evidence on the role of digital audio as a tool for narrative justice and democratization of communication.

Keywords: Digital audio; digital storytelling; marginalized communities; podcast; participatory media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gdc:gdccmm:v:2:y:2025:id:11

DOI: 10.65835/gdcc.2025.2.11

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