Political Economy of Media:Key Concepts

COM 327February 12 2013

Quiz!

1. According to Smythe, what is the main commodity of the mass media?

a) zombiesb) audience powerc) editorialsd) pop music

2. “The function of the __________ is to whet the appetite. In this case, to whet the prospective audience members’ appetites and thus (1) attract and keep them attending to the program, newspaper, or magazine; (2) cultivate a mood conducive to favorable reaction to the advertisers’ explicit and implicit messages.” (Smythe, p. 242)

a) free lunch b) baitc) brandingd) education

3. McChesney uses the term “global _________” to refer to the consolidation of media in the hands of fewer and fewer corporations.

a) clusterf**kb) Doomsday Scenarioc) oligopolyd) consciousness industry

4. For McChesney, “globalization” is synonymous with this word, starting with “neo”

a) neoliberalismb) Neopetsc) Neolithic Erad) neo-Nazism

Political economy of media

If cultural studies (Hall, Doty, Mulvey, Jenkins) looks at communication as a struggle over meaning, political economy looks at communication as a struggle over the production and ownership of media

Roots in MarxismSociety is defined by the struggle for power between the ruling elite and the lower (and middle) classes

“We are the 99%”

“Main Street vs Wall Street”

“99%”

Hall’s use of Marxism

Messages are “encoded” to support the ruling elite

IDEOLOGY

Political Economy & Marxism

The role of media ownership in class struggle

Consumerism & media: BFFs

Key concepts1. Emphasis on media ownership

2. Role of the press

3. The relationship of media to democracy

4. Concerns over advertising

5. Portrayal of ordinary people as relatively powerless

Emphasis on media ownership

Role of the press

“the corporate media have the additional advantage of controlling the very news media that would be the place citizens would expect to find criticism and discussion of media policy in a free society.” (McChesney)

Relationship of media to democracy

Concerns over advertising

Spot the commodity!

Portrayal of ordinary people as relatively powerless

“dupes”

“false consciousness”

“Consciousness industry”

http://watch-simpsons-online.blogspot.com/2012/12/fraudcast-news.html