Modern media is at face value developed and produced by multiple companies, when in actuality they are all primarily controlled by the same corporation with the face of choice acting as a way to create an illusion of diversity in consumerism that they do not really have. Most media companies have the same parent company, meaning that most of if not all the content developed from one of their subsidiaries must first go through them. However, it is important to recognize why this could be classified as an issue as this could lead to a detrimental lack of diversity and representation in the media they produce, how it will be received by people of diverse cultures, and the information that is given out through the media they themselves produce.
Representation and cultural diversity has become a topic of stronger debate in the past few years with outcries from minority groups regarding the lack of relatability and visibility in the media they consume. These outcries have popularized the idea with younger media consumers of the cisgender heterosexual older white man, wherein older white men who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community are not empathetic to what other genders and people of different races go through. It is through this lack of empathy towards the struggles of minorities in society that often reinforces the ideas of long-lived and long since accepted stereotypes in media, as the producers and writers are not knowledgeable to how others may live. A stereotype that was popular on shows like the Disney Channel was the “token character,” which was a character of a minority race that was often heavily stereotypical. An example of this could be Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb; Baljeet was the only reoccurring person of color in the show and held the stereotype that Indians valued their education and intelligence, leaving Baljeet’s primary character trait as someone who loved STEM subjects. And while that on its own may not be perceived as a terrible thing, an incredibly similar character was on Disney Channel’s, Jessie. Ravi Ross was an adopted child from India who like Baljeet was primarily known for his love of sciences and mathematics. These stereotypes have the potential to reinforce the idea that these are interest all Indian children have and should excel in. It is damaging for a child to be placed in a social box as they grow up. The lack of diversity in media companies and the media they produce can also lead to a damning difference in how an audience receives a piece of media. Most large media producing companies are American- examples of which being Microsoft and Walt Disney- can lead to a divide in how their media is received. This often leads to censorship to better please people worldwide so companies can get a better profit and therefore more funding. This is an issue faced commonly by the LGTBQ+ community, where the representation media producers proudly claimed to have placed in are often miniscule and easy to edit out. Companies with large media ownerships will prioritize funding and sales over those they claim to represent, as the idea of losing a profit leaves their competitors with an advantage. A recent occurrence of an instance like this would be the CW and their long running show Supernatural. Soon after the finale, English speaking fans discovered that other countries had additional dialogue that they did not receive involving a romantic confession between two male prominent male characters causing an outcry at the lack of representation for them. News media doesn’t fare better than the entertainment aspect of media companies and the giants that own them. Most news media has the same parent company, meaning the same information is distributed differently on a wider scale, as all the news outlets share the same ideologies. The best example of this being Fox Entertainment and their news media outlets: Fox News Channel, Fox Business, Fox News Radio, Fox News Talk, and Fox Nation. Fox is widely known for their heavily right-leaning viewpoints and mixed factual reporting. Its large media coverage has the potential to result in a mass spread of misinformation due to the political biases that come from the owners of Fox who fund these news stations. Media ownership and funding will always be a topic of controversy, especially given the ideas of monopolies on businesses. While people are becoming more educated on the issues that arise due to companies with large media ownerships, it hasn’t done enough to properly educate people in the issues that arise due to them. People still want to see diversity and representation; people want there to be less defining differences in cultural consumption, and people want there to be less spread of misinformation from what could appear as a variety of sources.
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AuthorI'm a High school student trying to learn to navigate and study the use and techniques behind Media, welcome to my journey. Archives
May 2021
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