Prequel: An ode to the iPhone
The average attention span in 2012 - 8 seconds
The average attention span in 2000 - 12 seconds
The average attention span of a gold fish - 9
seconds
Percent of teens who forget major details of close
friends and relatives - 25 %
Percent of people who forget their own birthdays
from time to time - 7 %
Average number of times per hour an office worker
checks their email inbox - 30
Average length watched of a single internet video 2.7 minutes
Percent of page views that last less than 4 seconds:
17%
Percent of page views that last more than 10 minutes:
4%
Percent of words read on web pages with 111 words or
less: 49%
Percent of words read on an average (593 words) web
page: 28%
Users spend only 4.4 seconds more for each
additional 100 words
Source: Harald Weinreich, Hartmut Obendorf, Eelco Herder, and Matthias
Mayer: “Not Quite the Average: An Empirical Study of Web Use,” in the
ACM Transactions on the Web, vol. 2, no. 1 (February 2008), article #5.
Meet Mr. Media
Media Ownership & You
Week 3, MK120: Media, Communication, Society
FOUNDATIONS OF THE EXPLORATION
• What does it mean to“own”information?
• Who are the big Media Companies, and do they
still matter?
• Do we (consumers) really have a voice? If so,
what does it sound like?
Digital Divide
The term digital divide refers to the gap between
those people with effective access to digital and
information technology, and those without access to
it. It includes the imbalances in physical access to
technology, as well as the imbalances in resources
and skills needed to effectively participate as a
digital citizen.”
Participation Gap
Digital immigrants vs. Digital
Natives
…I’m a digital immigrant. I was not weaned on the
web, nor coddled on a computer. Instead, I grew up
in a highly centralized world where news and
information were tightly controlled by a few
proprietors, who deemed to tell us what we could
and should know. Rupert Murdoch, 2005
Part One
Foundations of
Media Ownership
Vs.
How did we get here?
Mr. Media Grows
Who is Mr. Media?
Can you name the 6 media conglomerates
that own and operate over 75% of the
mass media messages you see today?
Table 1: World’s Largest Media Companies
World’s Largest Media companies
(total revenue in 2009)
Company
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
General Electric
Walt Disney Co.
News Corporation
Time Warner
Viacom
CBS
Revenue (in Billions)
$157*
$36.1
$30.4
$26.8
$13.6
$13
* approx. 25 USbillion revenue from media ventures
Source: FreePress Ownership Chart: http://www.freepress.net/resources/ownership
How Do they Grow?
1. Merge & Acquire
• 1996 Congress passes
Telecommunications
Act.
• FCC continues to ease
ownership regulations.
Merger Media
Approximate number of daily newspapers in North America
Approximate number of magazines in North America
Approximate number of radio stations in North America
Approximate number of television stations in North America
Approximate number of book publishers in North America
Number of companies owning a controlling interest in the media
listed above in 1984
1800
11,00
0
11,00
0
2,000
3,000
50
Number of companies owning a controlling interest in the media
listed above in 1987
26
Number of companies owning a controlling interest in the media
listed above in 1996
10
Number of companies owning a controlling interest in the media
6
2. Synergy & Branding
Synergy
Definition: refers to the dynamic in which
components of a company work together to
produce benefits that would be impossible
for a single, separately operated unit of the
company
Branding
If a brand is associated with a quality or image that a
consumer likes, the consumer tends to choose the
branded version of a traditional product or to try a new
product from the same brand
Branding
Spin offs:
ESPN2, ESPNNews, ESPN
Classic
Publication:
ESPN, the magazine
Web site:
espn.com
Retail outlet:
ESPN, the Store
Sport-themed restaurant:
The ESPN Zone
What is the resonance of
Coke’s Brand? What is it’s
media strategy? Where do
you see it?
What about Apple? Or Starbucks? Or
others? What are their media platforms?
How do they extend their reach?
3. Globalization:
Growth/Expansion Globally
One product, that is adapted to be viewed in the following
countries: …
Globalization
India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Japan, Brunei, South Korea,
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Hong Kong, Papa New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, UK, Ireland,
Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Greece, Israel, Romania,
30 territories including: Russia, Middle East, Egypt, Faroe Islands,
Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova.
And…Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Bolivia, Caribbean, Central
America, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, United States (select Hispanic
markets) Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Russia,
many countries in Africa…and on and on and on: totaling MTV being
tailored for viewing in:
164 Countries!
Cultural imperialism
Lines from the film’s opening song (pre-alteration):
Oh, I come from a land, From a faraway place,
Where the caravan camels roam, Where they cut
off your ear, If they don’t like your face, It’s
Barbaric, but hey, it’s home.
4. DEREGULATION
the General Electric Conundrum…
General Electric owns these
And they also own
Military Production: Manufactures and maintains engines for the F-16
Fighter jet, Abrams tank, Apache helicopter, U2 Bomber, Unmanned
Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV), A-10 aircraft, and numerous military
equipment including planes, helicopters, tanks, and more.
GE COMMERCIAL FINANCE
GE ADVANCED MATERIALS
GE CONSUMER & INDUSTRIAL
GE MONEY
GE ENERGY
GE HEALTHCARE
GE INFRASTRUCTURE
GE INSURANCE
GE TRANSPORTATION
Part Two
Markets vs. the Public
Sphere
Is the media industry different than
other Industries?
The Market Model
“society’s needs can
best be met through a
relatively unregulated
process of exchange
based on the
dynamics of supply
and demand. This
model treats the
media like all other
goods and services”
(Croteau &
Hoynes,15).
“media” Markets promote
_______________?
•
•
•
•
Efficiency
Responsiveness
Flexibility
innovation
The Public Sphere
“media are more than simply profitmaking components of large
conglomerates. Instead, they are our
primary information sources and
storytellers” (20).
Jurgen Habermas
[his] “model posits an open mass media system
that is widely accessible. It argues that
information should circulate
freely…fundamentally the public sphere views
people as citizens rather than consumers.
Furthermore it contends media should serve
these citizens rather than “target” potential
consumers” (20).
For the Public Sphere
•
•
•
•
Markets are undemocratic
Markets reproduce inequality
Markets are amoral
Markets do not necessarily meet social
needs
• Markets do not necessarily meet
democratic needs
What is the Public Interest?
Market – Whatever the public is interested in
Sphere – Media responsibility to….
a. Promote diversity (Avoid homogenity)
b. Provide Substance (w/out Elitism)
“The media’s role in facilitating democracy
and encouraging citizenship has always
been in tension with its status as a profit
making industry…” (38)
Which side do you fall
on?
Part Three
Destabilizing Ownership
Are these part of Mr. Media, or part of you?
Is he part of Mr. Media, or part of you?
2006 Most Visited Site, USA
2007 Most Visited Sites, US
1. Yahoo.com - Yahoo! Inc.
2. Google.com - Google Inc.
3. Myspace.com - News Corp.
4. MSN.com - Microsoft Corporation
5. ebay.com - eBay Inc.
6. YouTube.com - Google Inc.
7. Facebook.com - Facebook
8. wikipedia.org - Wikimedia
Foundation
9. craiglist.org - craigslist, inc.
10. live.com - Microsoft Corporation
11Amazon.com - Amazon.com,
Inc.
12. Blogger.com - Google Inc.
13. Go.com - The Walt Disney
Co.
14. AOL.com - Time Warner
15. microsoft.com – Microsoft
Co.
16. CNN.com - Time Warner
17. Comcast.net - Comcast Co.
18. IMDb.com - Amazon.com,
Inc.
19. Flickr.com - Yahoo! Inc.
20. Photobucket.com –
Photobucket
http://www.freepress.net/content/top20websites alexa, 2007
2009 Most Visited Sites, US
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Google
Facebook
Yahoo! Mail
MySpace
Yahoo!
YouTube
Windows Live
Mail
8. MSN
9. Yahoo! Search
10. eBay
11. Gmail
12. Bing
13. AOL Mail
14. AOL
15. Google Image
Search
16. My Yahoo!
17. Wikipedia
18. Amazon.com
19. Yahoo! News
20. Craig's List
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/internetweblog/archives/2009/08/top_20_websites.html
2012 Most Visited Sites, US
1. Google
2. YouTube
3. Facebook
4. Amazon
5. Yahoo!
6. Twitter
7. MSN
8. Wikipedia
9. Wordpress
10. Microsoft
http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/25/10760486-americas-10-largestwebsites?lite
1. Is The Shallows right? Do you agree with it?
2. What is the difference between Mass Media &
New Media Structures for Marketing and
Advertising?
3. How will Filter Bubbles influence our future
consumer habits?