Industry Flashcards
Who are the two industry theories by?
Curran & Seaton and Hesmondhalgh
What does Curran & Seaton say about conglomerates?
The media is controlled by a small number of conglomerates. These large companies are driven by the logic of profit and power. They buy up the rest of the market and concentrate power between the conglomerates. Less variety and creativity is a result of this as the same ideas and values are ‘recycled’ repeatedly when power is concentrated into a few hands. They won’t change their content because there is guaranteed success with this formula.
What does Curran & Seaton say about independent companies?
Independent companies are more likely to make adventurous and risk content. The more plurality there is in media, the more variety there is in the media messages we consume.
What does Hesmondhalgh say about integration?
Conglomerates aim for vertical and horizontal integration. Vertical is when a parent company owns most of the chain of production (from ideas to producing to distribution). Horizontal is when a parent companty owns multiple companies that operate at the same level (own all the producers or writers but not the other). The more integrated a conglomerate is, the more it protects itself from financial failure by keeping profit in house.
What does Hesmondhalgh say about cultural formatting?
Cultural formatting creates a strong brand which helps maximise audience and profit for a brand.
What does Hesmondhalgh say about conglomerates?
Conglomerates sanities content to ensure more audiences can consume the product. They exist across lots of cultural industries (theme park). They operate across a large number of countries to maximise audience and profit.
What does Hesmondhalgh say about the ‘radical potential of the internet’?
Audiences can take advantage of the ‘radical potential of the internet’ and this is the ability for things to happen spontaneously online out of control of media owners. Companies try to ‘contain the radical potential of the internet’ by forcing consumers to communicate on social media platforms so they can monitor and moderate what people say about them.
