Do you know why you watch certain programs on television or listen to certain segments on the radio? Is it because you enjoy these programs or is it because you have a limited choice of what to watch or listen to? This lends the question, who exactly decides what you watch on television? Very few people actually know that the entertainment they “choose” to consume is controlled by a small number of corporations that own the media.
Over the last decades, the media climate has increasingly been defined by corporations buying-out other corporations in an effort to make it harder for new companies or individuals to enter the media market. Competition in the media market requires a large amount of money as the technology and infrastructure investment is very extensive. As the media comes under control of fewer and fewer companies, it becomes even more difficult for new players to enter the market. This phenomenon – media oligopolization – is detrimental to the consumer because it limits the diversity of the entertainment being supplied. Instead of several creative forces there are a select few who compete directly with each other and as a result are forced to copy the trends and fads that produce the most profit.The entertainment options we find in the television, movie, music, Internet and gaming industries – to name just a few – are determined by corporate profit instead of consumer choice. This neglects the great benefits a diverse media could bring consumers in terms of education, utility and overall enjoyment.
We are FORCED to consume the media we consume. There is, in fact, very little choice in our hands. We think we make decisions about what to consume but in reality we are choosing from a filtered group of selections – based solely on their ability to make money rather than provide actual quality.Even more frightening than what we are missing out on in terms of media content is the fact that media power has been monopolized by these corporations. Media helps to define who we are as people – it defines our political opinions, our values and our morals – the list could be infinite.
When you watch the news you are listening to news stories that have been selected by a small number of people from a corporation. It is obvious you would not find a MSNBC story critical of General Electric, as MSNBC is part of the General Electric corporate empire.Less obvious, however, is the bias presented by a newscast; both in terms of story selection and story framing. The fact that a particular story makes the “news” is significant because someone made the decision to include that story and by doing so indirectly told the consumer what they should be thinking about. Once a story makes the “news,” a conscious decision is made by broadcasters, editors and company managers about the angle of that story. Any given story can easily be reported in a positive or a negative light. The direction chosen by the individuals responsible for the story has a serious impact on the way the viewer consumes that particular story.
The media has a powerful ability to tell its consumers what to think about and how to think about it.All of this plays a major role in shaping our life experiences. Imagine if you had never heard the lyrics to your favorite son, or felt captivated by the acting in your favorite movie. Your life could be much different than it is now.All of these things - political values and life experiences - are actually shaped by a corporation. That is an incredibly frightening power to leave in the hands of an increasingly fewer number of people. Think about this the next time you watch television or listen to your iPod; are you choosing your media content, or has it been chosen for you?
Joe Mignano
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