Comparing the Empowerment Dynamics of Traditional Media and Social News Sites: The Case of GameStop

This article examines the GameStop episode by contextualising discussion in structure-agency interplay to understand role of social news sites informing, mobilizing, and giving voice different political actors. First, squeeze might be conceived as both an individual collective agency-led form resistance domination elite power represented hedge funds. Second, it interpreted expression empowerment thanks combination public affair journalism, coordination among people (Power with), diffusion a new awareness information within) through apps site that “democratise” access related trade market. Third, structural-led evolution resistance/empowerment is driven market mechanisms empowered sites. The case highlights impact UGC on global agendas conceptualisation digital challenging traditional news-making pillar debate, nation-state main units analysis for media studies.