This essay will explore how modern media moguls operate, specifically analysing the impact of Rupert Murdoch in Britain. The global age has revolutionised the way in which we consume media, from television to the internet, significant advances in technology mean that worldwide we are interconnected. McLuhan (1964) states that the world has become a ‘smaller’ place and we are now part of ‘global villages’. Robertson, (1992) identifies three processes of globalisation; 'compression of the world', ‘the intensification of consciousness worldwide’ (global consciousness), and the ‘increased interconnectedness at cultural level.’ As a result of this “compression of the world” whoever has control over media flows has a substantial amount of power and influence transnationally. This influence in particular is born out of the Western world, in particular America. Individually everyone is affected by the increase in interconnectedness at a cultural level – ontological security. In terms of media organisations and media moguls, globalisation is a valuable tool that has increased their power and global reach in terms of media flow, "globalization is the tendency for organizations to operate on an increasingly global scale" (media in Britain, p5). The ever increasing global flows, international calls, flights and increasing global trade has caused the media mogul to modernise now expanding from the circulation of newspapers to include radio, television, film studios, publishing houses and other forms of multi-media. Media Moguls are defined as individuals who either control or own media companies and media platforms that publish mass media consumed by a large number of people (reference). The control of a mogul’s company differs from c... ... middle of paper ... ...ailable: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/nov/12/gordon-brown-rupert-murdoch-misspelling. Last accessed 1st May 2014. McLuhan, M (1964). Understanding the Media. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. 3. Ofcom. (Unknown). Oftel SUBMISSION TO THE ITC ON COMPETITION ISSUES ARISING FROM THE AWARD OF DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION MULTIPLEX LICENCES. Available: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/oftel/ind_info/broadcasting/dtt.htm. Last accessed 1st May 2014. Stokes, J & Reading, A (1999). The Media In Britain: current debates and developments. London: Macmillan Press Ltd.. :p4-5. Steven,P (2003). The No-Nonsense guide to Global Media. Oxford: New Internationalist Publications Ltd.. p:32-33. Tunstall, J and Palmer, M (1991). Media Moguls. London: Routledge. p:114-117 Roland Robertson (1992) Globalization. Social Theory and Global Culture. London: Sage.
Michael Parenti (2002) declares media in the United States is no longer “free, independent, neutral and objective.” (p. 60). Throughout his statement, Parenti expresses that media is controlled by large corporations, leaving smaller conglomerates unable to compete. The Telecommunications Act, passed in 1996, restricted “a single company to own television stations serving more than one-third of the U.S. public,” but is now overruled by greater corporations. (p. 61). In his opinion, Parenti reveals that media owners do not allow the publishing of stories that are not beneficial and advantageous. Parenti supports his argument very thoroughly by stating how the plutocracy takes control over media in multiple ways: television, magazines, news/radio broadcasting, and other sources.
Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and internationally. The aim of these companies is to generate revenue and in order to do this they create and air shows that cater to popular demand. In doing so, they sometimes compromise on the quality of their content. This is where public broadcasters come into perspective.
...J and Seaton, J. (2003). The Era of the Press Barons. In: Power Witout Responsibility . 6th ed. London: Routledge . 38-40.
Before examining media practices, let’s establish what the major news networks are and who owns them. As most Americans know, ownership of media outlets is largely centralized around 6 main networks or mergers. Since 2000 the “Big Six” conglomerates (as they are often referred to) account for ninety percent of all media ownership including television, radio, newspapers, internet, books, magazines, videos, wire services and photo agencies. (Adams) In 2001, America Online (AOL) and Time Warner merged to become the world’s largest media organization. AOL Time Warner accounts for twelve television companies including Warner Brothers, 29 cable operations companies across the globe including CNN and Time Warner Cable, 24 book brands, 35 magazines including Time and Fortune, 52 record labels, the Turner Entertainment Corporation which owns four professional sports teams, and provides AOL internet services to 27 million subscribers in fourteen countries. In addition, the conglomerate owns multiple theme parks and Warner Brothers stores in thirty countries across the globe. AOL Time Warner is chaired by Steve Case, with Gerald Levin as CEO and boasts 79,000 employees worldwide. AOL Time Warner’s multi-faceted conglomerate brings in $31.8 billion in revenues annually. (New Internationalist)
We are promised a global village instead we inhibit the drab cul-de-sac and endless freeways of vast suburb of information.” Though we have a multitude of ways to communicate that are much faster and and newer, we are constantly participating in ways that alienate us from each other and the world around us. Marche describes this as an “epidemic of loneliness”. He discusses the effect this has on our modern society.
Freedman argues that the individuals and groups who own and finance the mass media control media content – or the information that is available to the public (Freedman 106). One prominent issue that the Canadian media industries encounter is the excessive concentration of ownership in the mass media. In their 2014 article, “Media Ownership, Public Participation, and Democracy in the Canadian Mediascape,” Leslie Regan Shade and Michael Lithrow state that the concentration of ownership occurs when a tiny number of media corporations “end up (through mergers and acquisitions) owning the majority of media [outlets],” thus limiting the amount of information and content the public has exposure to (Shade & Lithrow 177). Moreover, the excessive concentration of ownership results in less competition in the mass media industries; an increase in the political and economic power of these concentrated media corporations; and a lack of diversity of viewpoints in the media content, as marginalized communities have little to no ownership or control of the mass media (Freedman 106; Shtern and Blake 89). Shade and Lithrow assert that Canada has “one of the most consolidated media systems in the world,” with four mass media corporations – BCE Inc. (Bell), Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Quebecor – owning and controlling a majority of the media outlets (Shade &
O’Shaughnessy, M., Stadler, J. (2009)Media and Society: An introduction. Dominant Ideology and Hegemony. London: Oxford.
Advances in technology have created a digital age where people across the globe can connect and interact with each other as easily as if they lived in the same community. Globalization has driven the worldwide spread of technology, creating far-reaching connections and what has come to be commonly known as a “global village”. This term, coined by Canadian professor and philosopher Marshall McLuhan, is a metaphor used to describe the shrinking of the world into a closely connected village, free of physical and cultural borders, through the use of electronic media. The source states that this new global identity threatens to replace national and individual identities. In this quote, the author criticizes social and economic globalization, representing
Indeed, a particular aspect of society after fully discussion of press, television, internet and headlines will produce much strong repercussions rather than the list of figures. But are these media events as a national phenomenon has been the most fully understand? As Hamid (2006) indicates that ‘we tend to think of national cinema as only informing us about the nation in which is originated. But, on the other hand, we tend to trust our own national media to provide news of the
Globalisation can be construed in many ways. Many sociologists describe it as an era in which national sovereignty is disappearing as a result of a technological revolution, causing space and time to be virtually irrelevant. It is an economic revolution, which Roland Robertson refers to in his book ‘Globalisation’ 1992 pg 8, as “the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole”. It is argued that globalisation allows the world to become increasingly more united, with people more conscious of ethnic, societal, civilizational and individual aspects of their lives.
Media has always had the power to transform ideas through what it represents. Most of the media we experience today is part of a global message which we absorb into our everyday lives; our customs, cultural coding, religious views and political standings. Due to satellite televesion, nations everywhere are able to tune into the world on a larger scale putting each nation under a single umbrella of opinions and views e...
One of the fundamental roles of the media in a liberal democracy is to critically scrutinise governmental affairs: that is to act as a watchdog of government to ensure that the government can be held accountable by the public. However, the systematic deregulation of media systems worldwide is diminishing the ability of citizens to meaningfully participate in policymaking process governing the media (McChesney, 2003, p. 126). The relaxation of ownership rules and control, has resulted in a move away from diversity of production to a situation where media ownership is becoming increasing concentrated by just a few predominantly western global conglomerates (M...
There are many contradictory arguments about cross-media ownership. Some people said it is an effective way to manage media company. Also, some people argue that a media company can offer high quality information and product since they have broad network and huge capital. This information and product cannot be made with small capital. However, there are concerns that media concentration affects our society negatively.
Hence, the power of media has touched its apex in today’s age. Its societal, political and economic functions reflect its unparallel capacity to affect the human life in all spheres.
Nowadays mass media plays a key role in extension of globalization process. The media components such as television, Internet, computers etc. are considered to have a paramount influence on globalization. Also because of globalization process today there is an increased access to a broad range of media, which plays a very important role in shaping human minds and has an immense impact on our society’s personal lives. Thus these two equally important processes interact with each other and provide mutual assistance in the expansion of the sphere of influence.