Media Studies Exam Prep - Week 12

Media Studies Exam Prep - Week 12

• Conglomerate Power Critics:

  • Conglomeration creates oligopolies, favoring their own interests and making it tough for outsiders to compete.
  • Media growth results in a decrease in the number of voices/speakers.
  • Results in an illusion of diversity (more choice, but not more voices) and "power is knowledge" (controlling the circulation of ideas).

• Free Market Defenders:

  • The media industry is dynamic and changing.
  • Corporations must grow and lose market share in a competitive marketplace.
  • Corporations need to manage losses and fund innovation.
  • While corporations grow, online technologies provide greater production and sharing capacity.
  • Companies self-regulate their content.
  • Self-regulation is driven by lawmakers, audience pressure, advertisers, and critics.

• Self-Regulation:

  • Industries create policies to maintain a competitive position.
  • These policies are influenced by lawmakers, audience pressure, advertisers, and criticism.
  • Critics argue that capitalism and democracy are intertwined in a problematic way.

• Media Globalization:

  • Instantaneous communication and relationship across cultures occur.
  • Media is interconnected.
  • Global economies are independent.
  • Globalization is uneven, due to inequalities.

• Rise of Media Globalization:

  • Political factors, such as the end of the Cold War, open new markets.
  • Economic deregulation and trade treaties loosen ownership regulations.

Globalization of Film

• Technology: Satellites and digital networks are crucial for global film distribution.
• Culture: New migration patterns and motivating forces are crucial.
• Globalization of Film:
  • Small studios are creating more films, and large studios are making blockbusters.
    • Maximizing investment capital.
    • Economies of scale is used for promotion and distribution.
    • Free publicity is employed effectively.
    • Synergy and tie-ins are leveraged as tools.
• Obstacles for Hollywood in China:
  • China is the second largest film market.
    • Issues include import quotas and censorship review.
    • Short promotion windows.
    • Need for collaboration with local distributors and exhibitors.
• Key Relationships to Manage:
  • Governments showcase China positively.
  • A balance of general audiences and visual spectacle is utilized.
  • Animations and "Chinese elements" are incorporated.
  • Special premieres and promotional events occur.
  • Collaboration with Chinese media is crucial.
• US TV Producers:
  • Strong broadcast strategies dominate international markets.
  • Popular TV shows perform strongly domestically, making them attractive options for international success.
  • Higher production costs, but primetime dramas are successful.
  • Domestic US success predicts international success.
    • But it also faces international competition, and US media often succeeds in niche markets.
    • US media faces international competition in global markets.

CO-production

• CO-Production: Collaboration between producers from varied markets.
  • Advantages include shared costs in various aspects, tailored to cultures.
  • Getting tax incentives from multiple countries.
  • Disadvantages create conflicts due to significant differences in language, structure, and scheduling.
  • Needs of stronger partner companies can often weigh heavily.

Formatting

• Formatting: Adapting media products to different local contexts is important.
  • Cheaper acquisition of pre-existing ideas is more cost-effective.
  • Cultural specificity is better enabled.
  • Attractive productions for programmers are attractive to audiences globally.

Multiple Proximities

• Multiple Proximities: Cultural features of media, especially domestic media, foster primary and secondary cultural proximities.
  • Language, experiences, and values are crucial elements.

Technological Determinism

• Technological Determinism:
  • A perspective that technology drives changes in society, tech affects us as well.
  • There are potential utopian and dystopian extremes.

I FORGOT MY PHONE

• "The medium is the message":
  • Sensory experiences of new media shape how we understand the world.
  • Sensory extensions afforded by media are more significant than the content itself.
• Development of New Technologies:
  • Technological developments are impacted by human interaction.
  • Steps include invention, distribution, government regulation, and domestication.
  • Technological integration into daily life often occurs in stages.
• Changing Discourses on Mobile Media:
  • Early media use was often tied to home or work.
  • Later, technology facilitated movement and social engagement.
  • Mobile technology's flexibility is now a typical feature, affecting our public and private lives.
    • Specific examples are given, such as the privatization of mobility using mobile technology.

Ambient Awareness

• Ambient Awareness: Ubiquitous connectivity helps maintain a connection.
• Net Locality: Mobile media merging the world wide web and local influences on mobility.

Mobile Kits

• Mobile Kits: The kits people use to navigate public spaces and accomplish their needs.

Design Logic

• Design Logic For Products: Products are designed to be updated quickly, urging consumers to purchase new versions.
• Marketing Logic: Encouraging consumers to upgrade to new versions is important for companies.

E-Waste

• E-waste: The disposal of electronic waste is harmful.
• Environmental and human costs are associated with e-waste.

Questioning Industry Practices

• Sustainability/Humanity: Questioning industrial practices and consumer choices for more sustainable and humane outcomes.