SOCIOLOGY-DIVERSITY

Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.

Jim Morrison

MEDIA - A LEVEL - PAPER 4

The growth of the new media has weakened the power of large media
corporations. Evaluate this view. [35]

The arrival of new media has weakened the power of large media corporations as
new media has developed change in society by the presence of new media facilities.
New media has bring the digital technology in the society which increase the access
of communication between people as new media involves the digital revolution, the
arrival of internet and the consumer choice options throughout the media. There are
two perspectives who can demonstrate the major concerns of new media factors
which includes increased consumer choice, e commerce Revolution and democratic
increase this was suggested by Curran as he highlights the main pointers of new
media technologies.

Not only this, the increase in consumer choice refers to the wide range of choices
available as people can have variations in the choices secondly the e-commerce
revolution has enabled the online power of media as people can make their own
websites and have web portals as well. New media has increased the interactivity
amongst the people as Li and Kirkup says more men than women use emails and
websites to interact to media. The interactivity has led to the increase in live chats,
forums and making own websites this eventually shows the power of new media in
20th century.

Moreover, the news values with a referring to the newsworthiness also shows the
effect of new media as news values provide the setting and proper stabilization of
pointed for media representation on social sites. According to some sociologist the
citizen journalism and news values shows the power of new media as it can be done
digitally with one to one interaction with owners. Other than this, advertising
companies’ sole aim is to only in profit but the arrival of new media has led to view
that due to higher awareness and easy access amongst audience there is no need to
advertise and investing the large amount of money as this would then be also
dependent on the choice of audience.

Furthermore, pluralist states that there is no single group which control media
content hence it is controlled by the interests and demands of media audiences.
Pluralist supports the presence of new media by referring the advanced technologies
and everything is done and control by audiences, alike this the uses and gratification
model also liberate the view of active role of audience as they say media is used by
audience according to their gratifications and needs. McQuil and Lull highlights

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various ways to denote the audiences active role whereas Wood claims that audience
use media to watch horror movies majorly teenagers.

Other than this, the development in media includes the convergence and
diversification of media content, convergence refers to that all the features like
games, applications and facilities are centred into one device which leads to easy
access therefore highlights one of the aspect of new media. Divergence refers to the
wide range of media companies and their sub conglomerates present in media leads
to the diversity of technologies and advancements. The categorisation of new media
earlier and cultural pessimistic and neophiliac perspective promotes new media
being beneficial to audience.

However, the review of new media has weakened the power of large media
corporations include the trends of ownership by referring to the vertical and
horizontal integration of media conglomerates, vertical integration refers to the
range of media companies working under one ownership like for example Newscorp
of Rupert Murdock and Virgin media of Richard Brianson claims the integration of
media conglomerates grouped in concentrated ownership. Large media corporations
like Newscorp are concentrated to Limited owners as according to traditional
Marxist instrumentalist approach it can be deduced that media ownership is
concentrated and control by owners. Not only this, Bagdikian argues that earlier the
Newspaper Times was under 50 conglomerates but in late and contemporary media
it was only seven owners who owned it.

Apart from this, the globalisation has also brought the diverse effect in media by
making global contact and interaction across all countries. There are also global
conglomerates which concerns over the integration of media to powerful and large
ownership. In addition, synergy show the arrival of vertical and horizontal
integration in media which provides authority and strengthens large media
corporations. The development of media leads to divide and rule as there are now
differences and audiences’ background as some people cannot afford the facilities of
media and there are people who can afford. In order to compensate the divide and
rule aspect one laptop scheme was generated to provide the facilities to people who
are deprived.

Other than this, large media corporations like BBC and news broadcast which are
controlled by states are funded by shareholders which shows that the power they
owned is not self-made the state holds the authority this contradicts the Marxist view
of controlling media by owners and media professionals. Not only this, Glasgow
University of media group highlights the one sided view of media views which shows
that media manipulate and control audience and work for the interest of ruling class
ideology. Lastly, large media corporations are powerful and more strengthened by
the owners who owned various media conglomerate as this give autonomy to the
owners to control media content as well.

In conclusion, the growth of new media has not weakened the power of large media
corporations as globalisation, horizontal and vertical integration, synergy, Marxist
and GUMG suggests that the power of large media is constant as it is concentrated
and censors the values of media favouring ruling class to benefit, however, the

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growth of new media has brought digital technology and e-commerce revolution in
media and resulted into the increased in interactivity and convergence of all social
elements in single resource.

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