Industries: Ownership and control blog task

1) Companies Owned by Walt Disney:

ABC Television Group

ESPN, Inc. 

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts U.S., Inc.

Lucasfilm Ltd. 

Marvel Entertainment, LLC.

 2) In my opinion, I think that governments should attempt to prevent conglomerates from being too dominant because the media has an immense amount of power to change and view or opinion of a viewer.

3) Production process: This is done so that the producers know what the audiences wan to see therefore their gratifications.

Distribution process: Using the most convenient way to get the product out to audiences.

Promotion process: This is done to find the target audiences for the product that is being or has been made.

5) Disney- This is a company that is known worldwide for a plethora of reasons consisting of Disneyland, Mickey Mouse, Pixar Movies and owners of companies such as Marvel and lucasfilm.

Marvel- This is a company that is divided in many different types of media with Movies, Comics and Toys. With a joined ownership amongst companies such as Sony, Disney and Fox Marvel is a well known superhero comic company.

Spotify- This company offers a music streaming and downloading service with a pain monthly or annual subscription.

6) Because to so many alternatives to receive media due to the media some legal and illegal the media institutions have reconsidered their business models. For cinemas, they advertise the greatness of IMAX cinema viewing being the ultimate experience of viewing movies which encourages people to go to the cinema. For music due to being able to download so easily the industry has made streaming services that are much easier to access rather than physical alternatives.

7) Examples of technology companies going into the media space are Google and Amazon. With Google owning Youtube and now changing the format of it to have sub platforms such as Youtube Gaming and Youtube RED it shows how they are attempting to make themselves into a media focused company. As for Amazon they are making their Amazon now streaming service as a package with Prime to bring it to the forefront of their company.

8) I do not believe this while some traditional media institutions may be I think the majority of them are actually growing with Cinemas now having record breaking box office movies and the music industry being bigger than ever and with the return of Vinyls it shows the the old can comeback.

Cultural Industries: blog tasks

1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature. Cultural industries include television and film production, publishing, music, as well as crafts and design. You might also consider architecture, performance and visual arts, and advertising as part of a cultural industry


2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

Broadcasting: radio, television (cable, digital and satellite) • Film industries: including the dissemination of film on video/ DVD/ television • Music industries: recording, publishing and live performance • Print and electronic publishing: books, online databases, information services, magazines and newspapers • Video and computer games: or digital games as some commentators refer to them • Advertising, marketing and public relations: greater functional element than other cultural industries; intended to sell and promote other texts; centered on the creation of texts and require work of symbol creators • Web design: high functionality dynamic + strong aesthetic element 


3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?

Some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society because society nowadays in-diverse, the population is a wide spread of different types of people with different types of culture.


4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

Risky business • Creativity versus commerce • High production costs and low reproduction costs • Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity
5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?

• Risk derives from the fact that audiences use cultural commodities in highly volatile and unpredictable ways – often in order to express the view that they are different from other people. • Risk stems from consumption and is made worse by 2 factors: firstly, limited autonomy granted to symbol creators in the hope that they will create something original and distinctive; secondly, the cultural industry company is reliant on other cultural industry companies to make audiences aware of the existence of a new product or of the uses and pleasure that they might get from experiencing the product. Companies cannot completely control the publicity a product will receive, as judgments and reactions of audiences, critics and journalists etc. cannot accurately be predicted. • Cultural industries can be highly profitable in spite of high levels of risk, but it may be difficult to achieve high levels of profit for independent or individual companies.
6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I think media is an art so it needs to be expressed so people can enjoy it but at the same time needs to appeal to people so they gain money from doing it other wise it would be for nothing.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Vertical integration-Owning a range of businesses in the same production/distribution.
Horizontal integration-Owning a range of media companies that are largely unrelated.
Integration and Synergy-Series of media products derived from the same text or institution.
Diversification- When a media company branches out into a different area of the industry.
Cross-media regulation-When two companies merge.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I agree with his because they work so hard to get the final product done and not much money for it when in reality they do most of the work and help it come together.

9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?


The visual effects industry has suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies due to Rhythm and Hughes facing severe financial difficulties.


10) What is commodification? 

When Hesmondhalgh evaluates the changing social significance of the cultural industries, he considers commodification. This involves the transforming of objects and services into commodities. At its most basic level, it involves producing things not only for use, but also for exchange.

11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

I agree to an extent because there are a select few media texts that try to accommodate minority groups however the mass media generally avoid diversity as it tends to be more expense or time consuming to cater to than just generalizing a text or advert to a majority. An example of this is the movie attack the block.

12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you thin
#k they are the most important.

Cultural industries are no longer seen as second to the ‘real’economy, ownership and organisation of cultural industries is now much broader, and digitization.

Media regulation: blog task

1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?

Very few industries leave the organisations or companies who operate

in that sector to their own devices. Systems of regulation are required

to provide rules and regulations to ensure that organisations operate

fairly.

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

In the media industry there are several regulatory bodies that exist
to monitor the way that their industries work. Broadcast media (TV
and Radio) are regulated by OFCOM – the OFfice of COMmunication
and the advertising industry is regulated by the Advertising Standards
Authority. So OFCOM make sure media that are okay and sutible for people to see.

3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?

Section 1: Protecting the Under-Eighteens. This is due to the fact that kids should not see harmful or sexual scenes at a young age.

Section 2: Harm and Offence. If people watch harmful scenes or violence committed they could be a chance people copy it thinking its okay or if they offend some type of audience then its a lot worse. 

Section 8: Privacy. Revealing someones personal things could get realised which is not good as people would like privacy and somethings too them selves. 

4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?


I do think it was wrong as younger audience was probably watching at the time and was able to watch a film which 18+. 

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice.

Section 1: Accuracy

Section 2: Opportunity to reply
Section 3: Privacy
Section 4: Harassment 
Section 5: Intrusion into grief and shock

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

The lack of statutory powers means that when a newspaper has been found to break the rules, the best a victim can hope for is an apology, which often does not get sufficient prominence in the paper. Critics also argue that many newspapers seem to fly in the face of the rules on a pretty regular basis and that very little is done to stop them.

7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?

It was set up as a result of the phone hacking scandal. It was an inquiry into the “culture, practice and ethics of the press”.
8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

On 8th September 2014, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?

Yes otherwise some things that are said could be twisted and we would need to maintain what is real and fake.

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

Because everyone can access it and create what they want on it then its harder to keep control on it.

Audience theory

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

The hypodermic needle model explains that the media is able to heavily influence the consumers of content that can have long-term effects on the viewers or cause a change the view of certain people.This article supports this as it talks about how violent behaviour is caused by showing young children video games that are not appropriate for their age and will cause them to do violent things.

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case (see Daily Mail front page below) link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

The cover line of the article describes a 15 year-year-old boy as a 'violent video game addict who rarely leaves his room'. This shows how video games has fully taken over his life an does not let no one in on his life.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

The two-step flow model was developed in the 1940s because the hypodermic needle theory was considered too simplistic, assuming the audience consumed media without thinking.

The two-step flow model instead suggests the audience are influenced by ‘opinion leaders’ in the media who mediate how the audience react to media texts. The theory suggests the media is not all-powerful and that social factors are important. I dont think that this is relevant today as more and more people/younger people have their own opinion.

2) How does this YouTube blogger fit into the two-step flow model?

He gives his opinion on the game and tells his audience if he thinks that the game is good and so when he says he does not enjoy or if he does then people will also follow his lead as he gives the advise not to buy it which shows how people will follow what he says which is relent to the two step model.  

3) How this this Telegraph feature on Britain's most popular tweeters fit the two-step flow model? Do you think these accounts genuinely have an influence over their audience?

This article shows how across so many different forms of media platforms there are multiple opinion leaders with opposing or agreeing to views that affect viewers. To focus on Twitter which is the main source of peoples opinions being shown to the public, tweeters with a large follow base have a lot of power to influence viewers perspectives. With people seeing celebrities as icons/role models people are really likely to influenced by seeing their content showing their power in the two-step flow model.

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model?

He inspires people to look for their talent which because of the good advice to the people it leads them to follow him in his footsteps to get better. 

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points.

Diversion: 

Personal Relationships: 

Personal Identity: 

Surveillance: 

Dependency theory

1) Do you agree that audiences have become dependent on the media? What evidence or examples can you provide to support your view?

I agree that audiences are becoming more dependent on the media as nowadays contacting people, checking news, shopping, or even work are all done due to the meida. Because it is so convenient it is easy to rely on.

2) How has the growth of new and digital technology in the last 15 years changed people's dependency on the media? Is this a new problem?

It has become a problem in terms of becoming addictive to young people, otherwise referred to as 'life consuming' as it is basically impossible to escape from. Also it can be a problem in such a way that actual people aren't needed anymore, for example new technology means that less people are needed to serve customers as there are self checkouts, and less restaurants are needed as there are easier ways to order food these days.

3) Reflecting on your own media use, how does your media consumption impact on your emotions? Does the media have an overall positive or negative impact on your health and wellbeing? Why?

It impacts me because if i hear bad news on the news then i will feel sorry for people and overrule give me a negative mindset and outlook on the world as media only really report on bad news.