Option 1: Why should consumers be worried about media conglomerates? Explain your thoughts in detail. Support your ideas with specific examples, if possible.
In my opinion, media conglomerates would destroy the media. I love being able to flip through the channels on the television and find out what people have to say about different issues. If there were to be only one or two media conglomerates people would not hear the diversity we are use to. A major problem with media conglomerates is that they don't just control one form of media, they control multiple different forms. For example the Time Warner conglomerate described in the book; if you read through all the different divisions the company owns it will amaze you. To think that one company and a few elite people have control of the messages these forms of media give off, it shows how large of an impact their message portrays. Imagine that one large company like Time Warner owns some of the most influential forms of media: magazines, music, film,and television. They publish 20 of the top magazines, have over 7 publishing companies for books, owns about 20% of US comic market, over 39 record producing labels, multiple film production studios, the second largest cable TV system, and the largest regional theme park in the US(Understanding Mass Media, p 267-268). To ponder that idea and how large of an impact that they could create by sending out their messages through the variety of forms they have available to them. Over time with their companies making profit, who knows, they may be able to buy out some of the other large companies. If we continue on a path with media conglomerates, there will be a future with only one message being heard. Which over time may diminish our love for being an individual and creating our own thoughts. With one company spreading their word, and ruling over the media, no matter how hard you try you would not be able to expand your message to the world. However intense media conglomerates may seem, I believe that we will never get to such an extreme measure. Our world contains such competition, that we will never have one media conglomerate.
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I was blown away by those time warner statistics as well, and find them absolutely appalling.One thing I disagree on is the possibility of one media conglomerate. I think that a company could get rich enough to buy out a big enough percentage of the media without anyone really knowing at first that something really bad could happen. The one thing that will prevent this from happening is if the government stepped in and upheld anti monopoly laws
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