Trouble at Kookaburra Hollow: how media mediate

Abstract

Through 2005 a dispute played itself out at the Kookaburra Hollow housing estate. The dispute initially concerned allegations of poor build quality in some houses, the absence of broadband to the estate, and the absence of certain public amenities. However, it escalated to involve disagreement among residents about the strategies and tactics employed in the disputes. These strategies and tactics involved the use of four media a Community Intranet, hand-made signs, public and private meetings, and a television broadcast. We describe the use made of these media as the dispute unfolded, and argue that each mediated the action in different ways. In our tentative analysis, the key factors that shape these sociotechnologies as actors are that they: act in different domains; act in different registers; and have different points of initiation and patterns of circulation. In comparing and contrasting the four media in these terms, we hope to understand more about this particular dispute, more about community networks, and more about media as actors.