Media Consolidation, also known as media convergence, is a term used to describe the concentration of media ownership by only a few companies or individuals. It describes the ownership of our news sources into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations. In 1983, the United States was a country which had fifty major media companies, but now it has only nine important multinational media conglomerates including the Walt Disney Company, Time Warner, Comcast, News Corp, CBS and Viacom. As control of the media consolidates into fewer and fewer companies, people should wonder what the advantages and disadvantages of this are. What is the purpose of this consolidation and are American citizens directly affected?
The advantages of media consolidation include diverse offerings, improved quality, minimal governmental control, and converging technologies. A major pro to consolidating media control is the ability to provide more diverse offerings to the consumer. The ability to own multiple television stations allows the owners to provide programming for niche markets on the different stations. This provides even the strangest and most unconventional television network programs to be aired. Media consolidation also raises the quality levels of local programming. The major media corporations use multiple formats such as TV, print, and the internet to enhance their offerings. By these large corporations controlling most of the media, they are able to offer extensive additional information to the consumer. This pairs well with their new ability to create converging technologies. No longer are the days where one household pays a different bill for TV, phone and internet. They now are given the ability to pay one bill to one company that binds their technology and fees together. Yay for saving money!! But perhaps the most important advantage to media consolidation is the lack of government control on the media. Having large companies control the media allows the consumers to voice what they want and receive what they want without the government getting involved. It is the people who make the choices of what they want to see.
The disadvantages of media consolidation include the lack of competing viewpoints, the ability to control perceptions and the lack of competition. All disadvantages of media consolidate affect one another. Since there is no multitude of media companies that have control, there is a lack of competition in the marketplace. This means that the major companies have the ability to charge what they want for media access for the consumers. The lack of competition also leads to the major conglomerates’ ability to control what they put on their media channels creating a lack of competing viewpoints. But why does this matter? How does this affect the everyday American?
In today’s society the media does not only inform people but has a major part in framing the debate over important political issues involving healthcare, economic justice, immigration and more. It is important to have a diverse array of voices heard in order for people to make an unbiased opinion themselves. However, when the media is controlled by a small number of big corporations, perspectives are narrowed, and only certain perspectives are portrayed. This stifles the multi-viewpoint journalism our democracy depends on. Not only does this affect society as a whole, but it particularly makes it harder for people of color, women, the LGBTQ community and other minorities to make themselves heard and properly portrayed in the media.
As a college student starting to form my own opinions and viewpoints on political and economic issues, media consolidation may tamper with my ability to receive exposure from a wide array of perspectives. This would ultimately force me into creating similar views as other people, and ones similar to the major companies who hold the control of our media. With this being the case, there is a possibility that one day all people will be swayed into one way of thinking.
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