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