Concentration in the Media and other Key Terms..

A term coined from Herbert Schiller is 'corporate speech'.  This term refers to the speech activity of corporations. Corporations speak through many vehicles.  This generation of mass audience has a mass voice, even though we don't voice it simultaneously.
Media concentration:  Where power is allocated in the media.  Concentration of ownership is concentration of power.
Broadcast monologue media: A massive audience engaged in television/media source or program.  A good example of this is the television show 'Married With Children'.

In present day, broadcast monologue media no longer exists.
The market audience today is very fragmented.  The marketplace and the media are both ideological systems.

Dr. Strangelove's three generations of participants in the media:
1) Previous generation- Industrial
2) Current generation- Knowledge
3) Future or Next generation- Post capitalist cultural production

Post capitalist cultural production involves the participants creating non-marketed things.
i.e. Facebook profiles, wikipedia pages, youtube accounts... In other words, things that re-enforce commercialism.
What does corporate/capitalistic America want us to think as consumers?  "Shopping is good!""I'm so stressed out, BUYING something will help me feel better!"  "We are going to BUY pink to support a good cause!" "Let's BUY green to support the environment!"  "Lets celebrate what we BUY!"

If we can be certain of one thing, it is that men run media.  This directly related to gender in the media and how the different sexes are represented.   During the feminist movement, Lucky Strike cigarette company changed its logo and shortly after greatly increased its sales.  "Have a smoke, you deserve it."  I could not find a picture of that logo but I did find this one, which has feminism written all over it:

    Race: How it is portrayed in the media.  Stereotypes seemed to be re-enforced always.  A good example of this during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.  The news would always show african-americans stealing and caucasians running.      

Idiosyncratic: Something that is different, eccentric and viral.  Often imitated by others.

A good example of this was the JK wedding shown to over 65 million viewers on youtube and was later imitated by hundreds.  This is rapid innovation in cultural forms.

Rapid innovation in technical knowledge was demonstrated in the 1480's when the 'Gutenberg Printing Press' was the dominating media source in Europe.  The 50 years that followed this a new religion was formed and it is rumoured that the most books in history were produced.

Cultural forms change every decade or so.  Nowadays it is totally normal to walk down the street with a coffee in your hand. Less than 15 years ago, this would be seen as completely out of the norm.  Having a camera and cell-phone in hand is also seen a normal, cultural form in present-day.  10 years ago this would not have been the case.
Media culture: Media is central to our contemporary culture.  Media is culture.  Culture is Media.

Collective wealth of the land has been privatized...i.e. land, forests, mineral water...

        
  Values of the elite are conveniently the values and interests of regular people.

      

The Internet and Related Concepts..

Race: Commercial media is gender-biased as it is run by males.  This directly relates to gender in the media because it as male-run industry.  Stereotypes and pre-conceived notions of women are highly existent in the media.
A fan has a particularly intense and emotional relationship with any given media product.

Corporations are adapting to fan culture.  What's good for the fan is good for business.

According to Dr. Strangelove, one of the main characteristics of professional art is appropriation.

Textual poaching, according to Henry Jenkins, is defined by taking bits of information from different sources.  A good example of this is the 'Family Guy' Star-Wars re-make or Mel Brook's version called 'Spaceballs'.

        

"Every year the internet exists, I become more stupid.  I rely on the internet to tell time, to spell..."- Dr. Strangelove

One of the biggest differences between this generation and the last few, with regards to media, is that older generations could do some stupid, highly regrettable things in there lives, whereas in present-day and in the future everything is recorded.  This generation, and certainly ones in the future, record, film and tape everything in one way or another. Two factors changing; memory system and identity.

 Intertextuality: State of story-telling that goes back to antiquity. In other words, stories referring to stories.
Another important term from Henry Jenkins is 'participatory media'.  The term is self-explanatory.  It refers to a persons level of participation in the media.  As Dr. Strangelove always eludes to, the classic example of the 'couch-potatoe' participant from older generations compared to today's co-creating and aggressive participant.  Passive consumption <-------------> Active participant.
John Fiske argues that 'active audience' is a concept that came out of the 1980's.  He described the present day participant as part of a hyperactive audience.  For example, we can address ideological and political issues through participatory media.  A good example of this is what I am doing right now. Blogging!

            

Fragmentation and Other Concepts in Media..

Fragmentation involves the audience which feeds off the corporate source.  The most common example of a highly-fragmented point of distribution is the television.  Internet is also emerging because of the immense amount of users.  From a corporate point-of-view everything is centrally related to the internet.  Fragmentation is on the mind of policy makers around the world because internet is an influence all around the globe.

Media is used to promote nationalism. i.e. CBC News 'The National'.

Norms change through time.  Media has always been the main communication of what is normal.

John Fisk argues that corporate media is progressive but never revolutionary.  Resistance is not just a theoretical concept but also a day-to-day struggle.  As Dr. Strangelove explained, the system prefers to keep people busy working.  This keeps them exhausted and occupied of there time and abundance.  

A segmented audience is the best audience for business, not even politicians are trying to reach out to everyone.  

Trust is extremely important in news and this is shown by how strong of a trust many people have in certain media sources.  

Social construction of reality; right wing view of media: Do not worry if a small amount of firms own the majority of media sources.  You can trust the marketplace, its no threat.  =  WRONG!  MEDIA IS POWER!

Appropriation: Modification of advertisement in media to get a certain point across.  Corporations hate this, according to Dr. Strangelove and he makes a valid point.  No one will dispute that corporations have a strong influence on our culture.  This will be obvious with our kids as we will be able to compare the influence of corporations today with the next generation.  Characteristics of professional art is appropriation. 

Cultural convergence is best explained through example.  The culture of the West and East combined when Bert (the muppet) is compared to Osama Bin Laden:

   

Sociology has two key structures; 1) Agency- What can you/we do?

                                                      2) Structure- What institutions and beliefs make up sociology?

20th Century Media Viewer; 'Couch potato'.  Very passive.

21st Century and Present Day Internet and Media Viewer; Producer and aggressive with his or her interpretation and opinion.

  

                

Media and it's Mass Power

Media: Anything that has a communicative element.  In this regard, media shapes message.  When looking at media and democracy, it is easy to see that the two are closely related in terms of representation.

Noam Chomsky, one of the most highly disputed, quoted intellectuals states democracy is both good and bad.  He elaborates on this point by declaring that democracy is a system that perpetuates the upper class and privileges the rich.

Scholars such as Noam Chomsky, amongst others cannot be discounted because they are well respected in there given field.  They are where they are for a reason.  This doesn't mean you have to believe what they say but you should listen.

Corporations have the dominant speech power (i.e. Coca Cola).

Capitalism, as defined by Dr. Strangelove: An ideological system of economic exchange based upon wage labor.

Egalitarianism is a belief of thought that favours equality of some sort.  In other words: EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY, on all dimensions including race, gender, religion, political affiliation, cultural heritage, social status and economic status.

Mass Media is defined by its ability to create a massive audience.  It eliminates competition (not all of it, there is always competition).  It is oligopolistic.  In another words, it is a market form that is dominated by a small number of sellers.  Internet is NOT a mass media YET.  Mass media simultaneously reaches a large audience.

Propaganda is a dominant force that wants us to think that THERE interest is OUR interest.

For example; "General Motors interest is the interest of America."

Ideology: where power is exercised through ideas.