Transcript In all its forms, media influences what we buy and what we

In all its forms, media influences
what we buy and what we think
The fact that the media you take in every day
has subtle power over your decisions and your
thoughts is probably not news to you. But did
you know that the television and the movies you
see, the sports teams you support, the music
you buy and listen to, and the magazines you
read, even some of the Internet sites you visit
frequently, are all controlled by a handful of
huge companies?
Twenty years ago, there were 29 entertainment
firms that shared 100 billion dollars in
revenues; today, there are six huge
conglomerates that take in over 400 billion in
revenues and control most of the media outlets
in the United States. (Stopbigmedia Website,
2008).
So what, you say? Companies are allowed to
make money, right?
But do you think so few companies ought to
have so much control over what you see on
television or in the movies?
Or what television shows are aired or not, and
what movies are made?
Do you think that so few people ought to control
what you listen to on the radio, or the headlines
you see on the news or in a newspaper?
Consider the facts:
-more than 75% of the U.S. radio market is
controlled by a few companies that own more
than 40 radio stations. (One of them, Clear
Channel, owns more than 1,200 stations!)
Could this explain, in part, why you hear the
same songs on every station, and never hear
your favorite independent artists?
Did you know that women make up 51 percent
of the U.S. population, and minorities make up
34 percent, but they own less than ten percent,
collectively, of all television stations?
RIGHT NOW…
• Write down your three favorite:
- movies
• - television shows
• Songs
• Your favorite apps
• Video games