April 18, 2012
April 18, 2012
Three Guiding QuestionsTo what extent does the Internet media sector
mimic the long-established patters of concentrated ownership in the broader print and broadcast media?
To what extent has it altered the processes shaping a central area of media content: news production and distribution?
What has been the effect of the phenomenon of file sharing, the rise of open-source software, and other intellectual property disputes?
Chadwick, chap. 12, p. 289.
Key Scholarly Works on Media ConcentrationBen Bagdikian, The Media
Monopoly (6th edn. 2000)Eli Noam, Media Ownership
and Concentration in America (2009)
Robert McChesney, Rich Media, Poor Democracy (2000)
Robert McChesney, The Political Economy of Media (2008)
Concentration of Control
The Big SevenGeneral ElectricWalt DisneyNews CorporationTimeWarnerViacomCBSBertelsmann
Media Concentration
Film Studio Market Share, 2009
Music Recording, 2008
Key questionsHow does the diffusion of ICTS affect the
distribution of power?Does it empower individuals and small
groups or does it privilege large organizations and institutions?
Does it undermine existing hierarchies?
Definitions of PowerCapabilities-based powerRelational powerStructural powerMetapower
Definitions of PowerRobert Dahl and Jack Nagel (relational
power)Bachrach and Baratz (non-decisions)Steven Lukes (interests instead of
preferences)Susan Strange and Steven Lukes(structural
power)Joseph S. Nye (soft power)“A Position of Power” video
ICTs and Firm Capabilities: Power Transitions among Big Firms
IBMMicrosoft/IntelGoogleFacebookTwitterWhat’s next?
What is Google?Founded 1998 by
Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
IPO 2004 ($23 billion)World’s most popular
search engine.World’s most popular
web site.Built on PageRank
technology.
ASU students video on Google
Google ExecutivesLarry PageEric SchmidtSergei Brin
TED video
Ken Auletta talking abouthis book, Googled
ICTs and national capabilitiesUS is ahead in movies, music, software and
web-based businessesTaiwan and China are ahead in PCsKorea is ahead in broadband, but also in flat
panel displays (with Taiwan)China is coming up but is not in the top tier
yet
Relational powerDefinition: A has power over B if A can get B
to act against his/her preferences but according to A’s preferences.
Relational power can be coercive or non-coercive.
If A can persuade B to change his/her preferences to be more like A’s, then A has influenced B without using coercion.
ICTs and Relational PowerGoogle vs. ChinaGoogle vs. print publishers/authorsGoogle vs. EU on digitized librariesRIAA and MPAA vs. average consumer of
digital music and videoCyberdiplomacyCyber warfare
Google vs. ChinaJan 27, 2006 Google launches Google.cnChinese government forces Google.cn to censor
certain Internet searches (Dalai Lama, Falun Gong)
Chinese government hacks into Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists
Google redirects Google.cn searches to Google.hk (Hong Kong), search results not filtered there
Google establishes “evil meter” to monitor traffic restrictions around the world Attack of the Show video
Google’s Library of the FutureGoogle makes deals with multiple libraries
Google digitizes books for indexing on GoogleLibraries get free access to full text versions of
digitized books plus moneyIn 2005, The Author’s Guild files a class action
suit against Google in defense of copyrightsNov 2008 settlement gives authors and
publishers royalties on sales of digitized books in exchange for granting Google legal immunity from copyright infringement
EU vs. GoogleEuropean Union opposes Google policies of
retaining user information; wants it to follow EU privacy policies
Google agrees to anonymize data after 18 months; EU not satisfied with this response
Bibliotheque Nationale de France begins project called Gallica 2 Project to digitize books of 50 European publishers; authors support this effort
Dec 2010: Google opens an e-bookstore, potential rival to Amazon
CyberwarfareWikipedia entry2008: Russian and Georgian sites attacked
during the war in South Ossetia2008: Defense Department reports espionage-
oriented attack in the form of a USB flash drive2009: cyber spy network called GhostNet, using
servers in China, taps into classified documents about Tibet in 103 countries
2010: US government uses Stuxnet worm to attack nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran
Structural PowerDefinition: the ability to control outcomes
that derives from the ability to shape the rules of the system.
Example: the ability of the RIAA and MPAA to get the copyright laws they want.
Example: the ability of the US government to veto decisions by ICANN
Example of attempt to alter structural power ofcopyright holders via the Creative Commons
New Forms of Structural Power: Architectural and Algorithmic PowerWho determines ICT architectures?
PC platformiPod/iTunes3G and 4G smart phones
Who controls central algorithms?Google search engine
Meta PowerWho is able to frame the issues in a way that
permits people and organizations to redefine their interests and preferences?
How does this reframing occur?Consider the cases of net neutrality and
SOPA/PIPAHow important were ICTs in enabling the
Arab Spring?
Lessons: Impact of Diffusion of ICTsEasier to organize and mobilize people who are
separated by great distancesInternet users feel more empowered; seem to be more
active in politicsGreater concern over the monopolization of control over
channels for the diffusion of digitized content and power of large companies like Google
Google and open source software may be undermining the power of other companies and institutions; in some cases this empowers individuals and small groups but not always
An important counterexample in the decline of print media