types of media

cultural industries “refers to those institutions in our society which employ the characteristic modes of production and organization of industrial corporations to produce and disseminate symbols in the form of cultural goods and services, generally, though not exclusively, as commodities (Garnham, 1990: 154)

towards the condition of public good my reading of the newspaper does not make it less available to you the products of the past live on and can be easily and cheaply reproduced anew the cultural commodity is not destroyed in the process of consumption (difficult to establish the scarcity on which price is based)

the cultural value one of the use-values of culture is novelty, difference constant need to create new products (prototypes) (cost of reproduction is marginal in relation to the cost of production)

the context -expensive to set up and operate mass media (the equipment and facilities require major investment) -skilled labor needed (content-makers, technicians) -consumer income, individual/family expenditure -consumption time, routines, and practices (cultural repertoire offered)

trends & contradiction a) on the one hand, drive towards expanding audience (maximization) b) on the other hand, need to develop strategies for artificially limiting access in order to create scarcity …

audience maximization media income: selling a product directly to mass audiences, or/and derive income from advertisers advertisers pay the mass media for access to potential customers; they buy space (print media), and time (from broadcasters) generally, the more potential customers a media company can deliver to advertisers, the more advertisers are charged for time or space

workshop let’s say that you have the capital to run a business, and you want to enter the mass media market in Turkey can you think of possible ways to do it? a few things about your strategy and, your perspective

public & other media … democratic role of media - watchdog - agency of information and debate - voice of the people

- watchdog the principal democratic role of the media is to act as a check on the state; the media should monitor the full range of state activity, and fearlessly expose abuses of official authority this role dictates the form in which the media system should be organized; by anchoring the media to the free market it is possible to ensure the media’s complete independence from government

- information and debate the watchdog perspective of the media is defensive; it is about protecting the public by preventing those with power from overstepping the mark the media can also be viewed in a more expansive way, as an agency of information and debate which facilitate the functioning of democracy

- voice of the people representing people to authority is another key democratic function of the media briefing the people and stage a debate; the media speak for the people, and represent their views and interests in the public domain

small-scale, decentralized media - access - self-management - non-professional training - counterbalancing unequal distribution of communication resources Independent media: challenging mass media

two-way, participatory process - non-hierarchical - horizontal - blurring of the distinction between producer and receiver [continued]

reference point: - different discourses - collective actions - right to communicate - empowerment - educational/learning value [continued]

workshop  let’s work in groups discussing the extent to what Turkish media satisfy the three democratic roles analyzed (watchdog, providing information and debate and representing the voice of the people) drawing on relevant examples  or, reflect on examples of alternative media in Turkey

thank you very much for your attention