cultural pessimists

• strands to cultural pessimist view on new media

  not-so-new media

  domination by media conglomerates

  commercialisation

  reinforcing elite power

  decline in quality of popular culture
• new media and 'not-so-new media' - CORNFORD AND ROBINS


  new media is not that new

  old technology is still integral to use of new media

  interactivity isnt new as people have written to newspapers and phoned in to TV / radio for years, the only change is the speed

  suggest new technologies permit refinement, extension and embellishment of new media
• new media and domination by media conglomerates 


  conglomerate = business corporation consisting of different companies with diversified interests

  role of transnational media conglomerates in development and control of new media undermines potential for media democracy
• domination by media conglomerates - JENKINS


  most new media have developed as result of investment by big media corporations

  argues cross-media ownership that began in 1980s was first phase of media concentration and technological convergence
• new media and domination by media conglomerates

  internet in particular is dominated by small number of media corporations

  microsoft - developed most of software required for accessing net

  these multinational companies enable people to log on in the first place, direct users to particular commercial services and play key role in online advertisement

  UK top 5 sites visited 2015 = google, facebook, youtube, amazon ebay

  BBC, daily mail online and telegraph in top 20
• new media and domination by media conglomerates

  media superpowers have advantages over individuals in setting up websites making it easier to cross promote products
• new media and commercialisation

  internet has becoming extremely commercialised

  millions of people use internet to manage bank accounts, pay bills and buy services

  over last 10 years there has been major shift in internet activities from educational use to commercial use
• new media and commercialisation - CORNFORD AND ROBINS


  new technologies may produce more choice for consumers but there are dubious side effects

  • many companies selling products and services on internet engage in customer surveillance
  • technologies such as cookies can monitor and process date generated by interactive media usage, and segment / target potential future audiences, thus enhancing profits

  marxists - encourages materialism, consumerism and false needs
• new media and reinforcing elite power - CORNFORD AND ROBINS


  sceptical view that new media will lead to more democratic communications structure

  note that through a series of assertive tactics, media corporations seek to monopolise key strategic links within new media
• new media and reinforcing elite power - JENKINS

  not all participants in new media are created equal

  corporations still exert greater power than any individual consumer

  political elite power-holders have constructed sophisticated elaborate websites to make sure their view of the world dominates the internet

  media technologies are therefore mainly strengthening power of existing elites rather than promotion of alternative views
• new media and reinforcing elite power - digital class divide

  digital class divide contributes to inequality because its probably those who are unable to access internet who have the most political grievance
• new media and reinforcing power - SEATON


  online political involvement probably mirrors level of ordinary people's political involvement in the real world
• new media and reinforcing power - HILL AND HUGHES 1997


  only 6% of webpages dedicated to political issues

  78% of political opinions expressed on american websites were mainstream
• new media and decline in quality of popular culture

  increased choice of media and and digitalisation of TV has led to decline in quality of popular culture
• new media and decline in quality of popular culture - HARVEY 2008


  digital tv has dramatically increased number of channels for viewers to chose from but this has led to dumbing down of popular culture as tv companies fill channels with cheap material, repeats, gambling etc

  tv transmits candy-floss culture that speaks to everyone in general and no one in particular

  e.g., decline in documentaries on ITV and BBC due to competition with sky