The History and Controversies in the Media Industries

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:Media

Document 1

7 zettabytes of information from all kinds of media (Hampton, 239). Americans are exposed to media in their houses, taxi cabs, highways, buses, classrooms, doctor’s officers, and even in airplanes. But media is not a yesterday happening, and historically, media industries comprised mainly of tightly regulated institutions in service of a national imagery. Their operations were kept under the watchful eye of the national guardians and it did not cross any borders. Following the relentless pressures from financial markets and corporate enterprises, they have sparked waves of innovation which have profoundly changed the ways in which people produce, regulate, market, distribute, and consume media. Satellite, cable, technology companies, along with telecommunication companies entered the market creating confusion as to how people define media.

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This process is evidenced by the fortune 500 companies consisting of a record of top U. S companies graded by their revenues. By 1990, there were only three media companies listed in the fortune 500; General electric that acquired the NBC television network, CBS, and Time Warner. Between the years 1995 to 2005, there was a growth rate in the number of content related companies as well as telecommunication companies. The financial stance of the traditional media industries suggested its reduction in the long run in terms of value and continued fragmentation of existing audiences. New Media and communication markets During the early 21st century, the new media and communication markets revolved around the internet and a variety of different applications and services. Consumers in this new markets could get right of entry or download data from anywhere at any time around the globe.

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All they required was an internet connection and a device that joins the user to the internet such as mobile smart phones, laptops, or computers (Croteau, and Hoynes, 45). There was no control in the distribution of content as people could access it anywhere anytime. It may refer to the public outcry, Wowserism, media transparency, media influence, censorship, or media violence research. The most controversial issue facing the new media industry of the 21st century is that of social media. Just a glimpse at the list of trending topics on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram reveals a host of debates, scandals, polarizing campaigns, and disputes. For example, the biggest news story of 2017 controversial stories revolved around the harassment allegations and sexual assault against powerful men in the media industry such as Harvey Weinstein that inspired a lot of voices on Twitter.

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Women told their stories via the hash tag #MeToo causing an exposure of many perpetrators in the industry. This subject is still a challenge for the media industry because even though many of them are designed for the adults, the circulation is still accessible to the teens and youths (Bartholow, and Anderson, 284). Another issue surrounding video games is that of sexism. Men make up the most of the video gamers. In a study conducted in 2009, men make up 60% of the video players, and while this gender gap has narrowed down, the platform is still male-dominated. Men influence almost all sectors of video gaming; from programming to designers, and while only 12% of females are in the industry, the majority of them face a lot of hardships.

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The media industry should also practice self-regulation in sectors such as video games and movie production to reduce the outbursts about violence and sexism. As it is, the public outcry has an impact on the media industry, and it is high time they realized the cultural power of their products. For example, in the case of Kate McGowan, the Twitter founder responded just immediately when he noticed all females had boycotted the platform. Opting out is the power of the consumers. Conclusion Ever since the 1980s, the media industry has seen a considerable growth, and within a short time, it witnessed the development and consolidation of large transnational conglomerates and media infrastructure globally. Croteau, D, and W Hoynes.  The Economics of the Media Industry.

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