Media Lesson Catch-up: Cultural Industries (11/12/17)
Cultural Industries: notes
Hesmondhalgh discusses the way the cultural industries operate and explores their effect on audiences: “Of one thing there can be no doubt: the media do have influence.”
He points out that societies with profitable cultural industries (e.g. USA, UK) tend to be dominated by large companies, have minimal government regulation and significant inequality between rich and poor.
Do cultural industries reinforce these conditions?
The cultural industries: a risky business
Hesmondhalgh acknowledges that media companies are operating a risky business. There is no guarantee a creative product will be a success.
They offset this risk both creatively and through business structure. In terms of media products, they use stars, sequels and well-known genres.
In terms of business, they use vertical integration and diversification to spread their risk and maximise profit.
Hesmondhalgh: diversity in the media
Cultural Industries: notes
Hesmondhalgh discusses the way the cultural industries operate and explores their effect on audiences: “Of one thing there can be no doubt: the media do have influence.”
He points out that societies with profitable cultural industries (e.g. USA, UK) tend to be dominated by large companies, have minimal government regulation and significant inequality between rich and poor.
Do cultural industries reinforce these conditions?
Hesmondhalgh acknowledges that media companies are operating a risky business. There is no guarantee a creative product will be a success.
They offset this risk both creatively and through business structure. In terms of media products, they use stars, sequels and well-known genres.
In terms of business, they use vertical integration and diversification to spread their risk and maximise profit.
Commodification
Hesmondhalgh discusses commodification in the cultural industries (turning everything into something that can be bought or sold).
He suggests this creates problems on both the consumption and production side. For the production side, he points to certain areas of the cultural industries where people are not fairly rewarded.
Hesmondhalgh: diversity in the media
Hesmondhalgh has explored whether the cultural industries truly reflect the diversity of people and society.
Hesmondhalgh references Mosco (1996): “There is a difference between multiplicity – a large number of voices – and diversity – whether or not these voices are actually offering different things from each other.”
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