MIGRAIN: The Cultural Industries - theory
1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?
The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature.
2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?
Hesmondhalgh identifies that the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money.
3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?
Because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with each other to secure audience members.
4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?
Risky business
Creativity versus commerce
High production costs and low reproduction costs
Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity
6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?
In my opinion media is about both profit and art, some people could argue that media products are things which should earn money and they are worth a lot however some could argue that it is all art and takes really intelligent people to make a successful media product which plays a role in society.
7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here)
Vertical integration
8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?
In my opinion many cultural industries do reflect inequalities of wider society which should be rewarded because this shows their audience what life is like and what we might not be noticing about the society in which we lie in and it is not fake stuff, so it has a big impact on us therefore i agree that they should be better rewarded for their work.
9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?
10) What is commodification?
The changing social significance of the cultural industries, this involves the transforming of objects and services into commodities.
11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?
I disagree with this because there is a wide range of different media texts created by different people from different backgrounds and experiences therefore the diversity of people and opinions are not being forgotten in my opinion.
12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.
-Ownership and organisation of cultural industries is now much broader
-Digitalisation, the internet and mobile phones have multiplied the ways audience can gain access to cultural content.
-Powerful IT and technology companies now work with cultural industries to understand and produce cultural production &consumption
The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature.
2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?
Hesmondhalgh identifies that the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money.
3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?
Because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with each other to secure audience members.
4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?
Risky business
Creativity versus commerce
High production costs and low reproduction costs
Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity
6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?
In my opinion media is about both profit and art, some people could argue that media products are things which should earn money and they are worth a lot however some could argue that it is all art and takes really intelligent people to make a successful media product which plays a role in society.
7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here)
Vertical integration
8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?
In my opinion many cultural industries do reflect inequalities of wider society which should be rewarded because this shows their audience what life is like and what we might not be noticing about the society in which we lie in and it is not fake stuff, so it has a big impact on us therefore i agree that they should be better rewarded for their work.
9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?
10) What is commodification?
The changing social significance of the cultural industries, this involves the transforming of objects and services into commodities.
11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?
I disagree with this because there is a wide range of different media texts created by different people from different backgrounds and experiences therefore the diversity of people and opinions are not being forgotten in my opinion.
12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.
-Ownership and organisation of cultural industries is now much broader
-Digitalisation, the internet and mobile phones have multiplied the ways audience can gain access to cultural content.
-Powerful IT and technology companies now work with cultural industries to understand and produce cultural production &consumption
Comments
Post a Comment