Ownership and control Flashcards
1
Q
What is ownership and control of the media like?
A
- in 1980s only 4 main terrestrial channels- this inc in outlet indicates there is more choice now than ever in terms of media we consume
- although number of outlets has increased, there’s an inc concentration of ownership into a few giant media corporations
- reports claim 5 billionaires own 80% media
- Horizontal integration: when a media company expands, often by buying or merging with competitors in a similar section of the market to them
- Media Convergence: different media corporations join with other companies to offer a product or service. FE, Microsoft windows operating system is used on a Samsung mobile phone technology. Contrastingly Apple uses its own soft ware system in its phone technology
- Global Conglomerates: companies consisting of a lot of businesses/interests that may operate on an international level. Many media companies have businesses across different nations
- Media companies have become more transnational- existing in number of nations, more diverse and become conglomerates by branching into different areas of economic activity
-Marxists obvs think it serves capitalist interests
2
Q
What are the main changes in media ownership?
A
- concentration of ownership-> less companies of owning increasingly larger areas of media- Rupert Murdoch controlling many media’s
- vertical integration-> concentration of ownership in a single medium- Netflix shift from small shows and movies from major studios and producing own original content
- Horizontal integration-> cross-media ownership controlling/owning films, newspapers etc like Disney
-Technological convergence->products available in different forms that can be accessed on one device- smartphones- Apple: Ipod, Ipad etc - Conglomeration and diversification-> companies having wide variety of products beside media- Virgin, John Lewis= T-shirts, clothing as well as products etc
-Synergy-> media companies produce, promote and sell a production in a variety of forms- e.g. a film, soundtrack and video game for a superhero
3
Q
What does Bagdikian argue?
A
- around 25 years ago that even then the concentration of media ownership meant handful of global media companies and moguls- ‘Lords of the global village’ dominated worlds mass media, a controlled every step in the info process, from creation to delivery
- 5 global firms- Walt Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, CBS and Viacom- own most of the newspapers, magazines, book publishers, film studios, radio+TV studios in the US, he suggests this concentration gives these corporations more communications power than was exercised by any dictatorship in history
4
Q
What is the Manipulative/instrumentalist theory of ownership and control?
A
- trad Marxist approach
- suggests owners directly control media content, and manipulate that content and therefore media audiences to protect their profits spread dominant ideology
- editors, managers and journalists have little choice but to run and create the media within boundaries et by owners
- journalists will then self-censor work to produce biased, one-sided reports supporting dominant ideology
- Curran and Seaton- suggested media owners did interfere and manipulate newspaper content at the expense of independent journalists and editors, to protect their own interests, and supported or withheld criticisms of govt which defended those interests - e.g. Murdoch argued ‘for’ Iraq war and all 175 of his newspapers forms backed this
- Leveson Enquiry-> uncovered a range of links between media owners and govt, with media support to political parties in return for govt policies favourable to interests of media owners
5
Q
What are the criticism of Manipulative approach?
A
- Pluralists would argue there is a wide range of opinions in media, media’s owners and managers are primarily concerned with profit making. To do this- have to attract large audiences- now what owners want
- state regulates media ownership- so no one person or company has too much influence- by Law, TV and radio in the UK have to report news impartially, and cant therefore simply create biased one-sided reports
- audiences are not as gullible and easily to manipulate
- Pluralists and Neophiliacs suggest rise of new digital media and internet, as well as citizen journalism has undermined trad influences of media owners and has given more power t ordinary ppl to give interpretations
6
Q
What is the dominate ideology/hegemonic approach?
A
- Neo Marxism
- suggest mass media spreads a dominant ideology justifying or legitimising power of ruling class
- recognised power of owners but suggests although owners may have influence, they rarely have a day to control the content
- emphasises concept of hegemony- the lower classes are persuaded to accept that the values and beliefs in the ruling class ideology are reasonable and normal
- suggests that media managers and journalists have some professional independence
- most journalists are white, m/c and male and their socialisation means they share similar view to that of dominant class
- audience is only exposed to a limited range of opinions
- media managers need to attract audiences and advertises- means as well as promoting hegemonic ideas they can sometimes develop critical and anti-establishment views
7
Q
What are the critism of this dominate ideology view?
A
- approach underrates power and influence of the owners- careers are dependant on gaining approval of stories form editors
- agenda setting and gatekeeping mean audiences have little real choice of media content, as newspaper and TV programmes are produced within a framework of the dominant ideology- suggests a direct manipulation of audiences move in keeping with manipulative or instrumentalist approach
8
Q
What is the pluralist approach?
A
- believes in opposite of 2 above- believe there is a wide variety of media availably from a wide variety of media available forces and owners
- power in society reflects a broad range of social interest, power is spread amongst a wide variety of competing interest groups and individuals, there is no monopoly of power
- media content is driven not by a dominant ideology or the political interests of owners, but by the fight for profits through high circulation and audience figures
- wide range of media products that reflect a huge range of audience interests and ideas
- consumer choice is the only control- media ha to be responsive to audiences tastes and wishes
- competition for audience prevents any one owner or company from dominating media as well as media regulators like Ofcom
- media is free from govt or direct owner control including journalist
- audience can choose and pick n mic approach to whatever interpretation suits them
9
Q
What the critism for the pluralist approach?
A
- media owners appoint editors who have been known to sacked if do not cooperate. Owners, top managers and editors often share a similar outlook on the world
- constraints placed on journalists and producers by owners
- not all groups in society have equal influence on editors and journalists to get their view across. Tend to be from most powerful members in society. Their views are given more weight than those of less powerful groups
- only rich groups will have resources to launch major media company
- pressure to attract audiences doesn’t inc media choice but limits it- media declines in quality. Media becomes more abt entertainment than information
- hegemonic
10
Q
What are the role of owners, media content and audience stance for the Manipulative, Hegemonic, Pluralistic approaches?
A
- Manipulative- owners= direct control, content= dominant ideology, audience= passive
- Hegemonic- owners= influential and persuade, content= dominant ideology with some deviation, audience= passive
- Pluralist- owners= no direct control, Content= meets audience needs, Audience= active
11
Q
What is the postmodernist stance and hyperreality?
A
- see globalisation of the media as greater choice of media products and lifestyle, opening up greater awareness of different cultures and providing opportunities for a range of different identities
- HYPERREALITY= Baudrillard argues what live in a media saturated society in which media images dominate and distant the way we see the world. FE, the news uses tech to provide a sanitised version of events around world. The distorted view of the world is called hyperreality which is a view of the world created by the media with the image of an event more real than the event is depicting. Baudrillard argues the media present Simulacra, which are media images which appear to reflect things in the world but have no basis in reality. Bc media blurs distinction between reality and hyperreality, leaving audiences confused what is real and what is media created- reality shows
12
Q
What is postmodernist stance and ‘media producers or consumers?’ and Choices for audience?
A
- the distinction between media producers and consumers is now blurring. Media products are now often produced by ordinary ppl rather than media orgs. Media products of media corporations are also being reinvented
- Choices for audience- Media messages in postmodern world are polysemic-> can be interpreted in a variety of ways which results in media owners, journalists and companies being unable to influence what we think. Levene argues that consumers now have a greater amount of choice over what media they consume and can use it challenge powerful groups in society. An example of this is when uni students in 2007 used Facebook and Twitter to construct a viral campaign to defeat HSBC’s proposal to introduce overdraft fees
13
Q
What is the postmodernist stance with influence of the media on identity?
A
- Strinati emphasises importance of the media in shaping consumer choices. Popular culture bombards us daily and inc dominate the way we define ourselves. The media creates pressure to consume and many of us define our identities in terms of media imagery. Media induced trends become more important than the usefulness of products. In films, storyline doesn’t matter but special effects and who the stars are matter more. There are ppl who are famous only for being made into ‘Celebs’ by media
- Baudrillard suggests we identify more with media images than we do with our own daily experiences and increasingly live media-led virtual lies. We are more likely to get excited by acts on ‘X-factor’ or interact with ppl we barely know on social media than we are to get involved with communities we live in
14
Q
What are the critism to postmodernism?
A
- PM assume ppl do not interpret, ignore or reject media imagery and messages
- media images and representations of gender, age etc do not open up new choices of identity but reinforce stereotypes
- many ppl not have access to new media and can’t afford to make free choices between media promoted lifestyles and identities
- Marxists argue the choice PMs talk abt is a myth as transnational media conglomerates control majority of media output
- media is only one element in shaping our lives, other experiences and agents will shape behaviour and identities
15
Q
What is the feminist view on ownership and control of media?
A
- feminists argue the majority of owners, editors and journalists are men- programmes is biased to male interests
- media companies transmit a patriarchal ideology
- women in the media face a glass ceiling where they are unable to get top jobs, which influence media content
