Who Owns the Media??

Falak Shah

English 12

August 19, 2010

F Block

Who Owns the Media?

                Who owns the media? The people, the corporations, the government, or what? What is it that controls our modern media today? The answer is simple: technology. Technology has proven to take control of the media since the 30’s, and has definitely taken a major impact in improving the economy. “Prior to the eighties and nineties, national media systems were typified by domestically owned radio, television and newspaper industries.” (Global Media, Neoliberalism, Imperialism). Suppose you take the radio. Now the radio in the 1930’s weren’t just for music, it was more to spread news and messages to those who were listening. The radio made a huge success in sending a message, especially when it was advertising for certain products. The use of the radio may have been most important during fireside chats during the Great Depression. This was when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had used the radio to tell the people of America to put their money back in the banks to reform from the depression. This clearly shows how the technology had taken control of people as it had won their trust. Another example of how technology controls the media is the television. Probably one of the most remarkable inventions ever created, the television has proved to own the media when it shows advertisements in between shows. These advertisements have been a huge impact in the world’s economy. Advertisements have been able to manipulate people into why they should buy a certain product, and once everyone buys different products, one may agree that technology has been a major impact on our world economy. TV has also been able to take over the media because of its news broadcasting. News is being spread around the world quicker when its broadcasted on TV. In fact, according to one of the very links Mrs. Benozilio gave me, it stated that “With neoliberal values, however, television, which had been a noncommercial preserve in many nations, suddenly became subject to transnational commercial development. It has been at the center of the emerging global media system.” (Global Media, Neoliberalism, Imperialism). This clearly shows the dominance of the TV in our world. 

            Now if we go more towards the modern days, we’ll be saying “who cares about the t.v. and cinemas when you have a computer that does it all for you with its access to the internet?” Why should a teenager go to the cinemas and buy a $10 dollar ticket when he could just wait a few days to watch the movie on his own personal screen? The computer and its access to the internet has controlled the media in several ways. One way would be the spread of news. Whenever you are at work, you can always look on BBC or CNN to find out the latest news. Another way of how media is being controlled by the computers is that whatever the TV’s can do, the computers can do as well. If there is a TV show being broadcasted, a few hours later you will be able to find it in good quality on the internet! Now you should be able to agree with me that the media is being controlled by technology because it clearly drives us into it. The radio, TV’s, and computers have all manipulated us into buying certain products or spreading a message. The question is, whats next? What will be the next technology that will take over the media? My guess is a simple cell phone. According to the Internet & Democracy, the usage of internet on phones has led to an increase in sharing videos, thus putting TV stations in a crisis.