Neoliberalism has become the dominant ideology of our day. As with all ideologies, it influences without drawing attention to itself. Critical pedagogy, with its focus on the oppressed and marginalised, offers a perspective on the media and education that seeks to expose neoliberalism's hegemonic power. Traditional media has become complicit with neoliberalism, but with new media's role in the recent events of the Arab Spring and the Iranian uprisings, there is hope that it can expose and challenge unjust powers. New media, or more specifically for this article, YouTube, is a contested frontier where the power is sought: critically, the power of the imagination. To engage on YouTube is to be on that frontier, and new skills are required. This article concludes that critical media literacy is essential to successfully engage that space and provide the opportunity for users to imagine a different world.
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