Cultural Industries: blog tasks
Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 168: David Hesmondhalgh’s ‘The Cultural Industries’. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:
1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?
The cultural industries refers to: broadcast (radio, TV), film, print, video games, advertising, music and online.
2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?
Hesmondhalgh discusses the effect of the cultural industries on audiences and he identifies that the societies with more profitable cultural industries, tend to be controlled by larger media conglomerates, have minimal government regulation and show a significant difference between the rich and the poor
This happens because the cultural industry needs to continuously compete with each other in order to secure each others audience member. In doing so, they will try to satisfy the audiences want and desire to watch the more shocking and rebellious content,
4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?
Problems that Hesmondhalgh has found is that: it is a risky business, people are more interested in making money than the artistic value of content, that there are high production costs, with a small return of profits, the need to produce scarcity in semi public goods
5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?
This may be because some of the cultural industries are reliant on other cultural industries, both on success and downfall, a blatant example being the newspaper industry, as there isn't a need for it is people have their mobile phones to read the news from. Also, there may be a new product which may provide the audience with more of a gratification
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?
I think that culturla industries should really be creating products for the artistic value, money should just be an added reward. Whilst the desire for money is understandable, it should a priority to make the media product with good quality.
7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here)
A Media company may maximize their profits by owning many different businesses, also known a vertical integration, the advantage of them doing this that the media company will be reaching a wider audience, meaning that there are more opportunities for businesses to generate revenue. In addition to this, the fact that one media company may own multiple other businesses contribute to the horizontal and 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?
I agree and disagree with the statement due to the fact that i believe that there are enough people in the media who create media products, based on the injustices of life, although there are also journalists who overshadow the more important stories for the generic and thoughtless article. A clear example of this is Prince Harry's engagement overshadowing the fact that it has been 6 month and there are till victims of the Grenfell Tower Fire who have still not been given appropriate housing, despite the 6 month anniversary of the disaster coming.
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?
The visual effects industry suffered due to a number of factors explained in the podcast. These include:
Commodification involves producing things that are for use as well as exchange.
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 agree and disagree due to the fact that there have been examples in the past of current affairs where newspapers have offered the same viewpoints or the same overall message. Referring back to Prince Harry's engagement, many newspapers were acknowledging the fact that this had happened and just said congratulations to him, instead of giving an effect of what this may determine for the royal family. Although, it can be argued that there is diversity in media products as that is why we have left-wing and right- wing newspapers and news shows, for diverse and different arguments, therefore the media is quite diverse.
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.
Digitalisation - The internet and development of technology such as mobile phones has made cultural content more easily accessible for consumers. I think that this is important because it explains the reasons behind the importance of these industries adapting in order to maintain their success.
Ownership is much broader now - This means that cultural industries are able to operate across a range of media platforms e.g. publishing, broadcasting etc. This is significant because it shows that these industries are attempting to make their content accessible to all.
The development of cultural texts - This is important as it has increased the diversity of media texts and has increased the range of texts available for consumers.
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:
1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?
The cultural industries refers to: broadcast (radio, TV), film, print, video games, advertising, music and online.
2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?
Hesmondhalgh discusses the effect of the cultural industries on audiences and he identifies that the societies with more profitable cultural industries, tend to be controlled by larger media conglomerates, have minimal government regulation and show a significant difference between the rich and the poor
3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?
This happens because the cultural industry needs to continuously compete with each other in order to secure each others audience member. In doing so, they will try to satisfy the audiences want and desire to watch the more shocking and rebellious content,
4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?
Problems that Hesmondhalgh has found is that: it is a risky business, people are more interested in making money than the artistic value of content, that there are high production costs, with a small return of profits, the need to produce scarcity in semi public goods
5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?
This may be because some of the cultural industries are reliant on other cultural industries, both on success and downfall, a blatant example being the newspaper industry, as there isn't a need for it is people have their mobile phones to read the news from. Also, there may be a new product which may provide the audience with more of a gratification
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?
I think that culturla industries should really be creating products for the artistic value, money should just be an added reward. Whilst the desire for money is understandable, it should a priority to make the media product with good quality.
7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here)
A Media company may maximize their profits by owning many different businesses, also known a vertical integration, the advantage of them doing this that the media company will be reaching a wider audience, meaning that there are more opportunities for businesses to generate revenue. In addition to this, the fact that one media company may own multiple other businesses contribute to the horizontal and 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?
I agree and disagree with the statement due to the fact that i believe that there are enough people in the media who create media products, based on the injustices of life, although there are also journalists who overshadow the more important stories for the generic and thoughtless article. A clear example of this is Prince Harry's engagement overshadowing the fact that it has been 6 month and there are till victims of the Grenfell Tower Fire who have still not been given appropriate housing, despite the 6 month anniversary of the disaster coming.
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?
The visual effects industry suffered due to a number of factors explained in the podcast. These include:
- Outside political forces
- Severe financial difficulties
Commodification involves producing things that are for use as well as exchange.
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 agree and disagree due to the fact that there have been examples in the past of current affairs where newspapers have offered the same viewpoints or the same overall message. Referring back to Prince Harry's engagement, many newspapers were acknowledging the fact that this had happened and just said congratulations to him, instead of giving an effect of what this may determine for the royal family. Although, it can be argued that there is diversity in media products as that is why we have left-wing and right- wing newspapers and news shows, for diverse and different arguments, therefore the media is quite diverse.
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.
Digitalisation - The internet and development of technology such as mobile phones has made cultural content more easily accessible for consumers. I think that this is important because it explains the reasons behind the importance of these industries adapting in order to maintain their success.
Ownership is much broader now - This means that cultural industries are able to operate across a range of media platforms e.g. publishing, broadcasting etc. This is significant because it shows that these industries are attempting to make their content accessible to all.
The development of cultural texts - This is important as it has increased the diversity of media texts and has increased the range of texts available for consumers.
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