Cultural Industries: blog task

 1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

This refers to the creation, production and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature.

2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

He identifies that societies in which cultural industries are highly profitable tend to to be societies where large companies make a lot of profit.

3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?

Companies compete with other companies so they do this to secure and satisfy audiences by making shocking content that is unique compared to their competitors.

4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

Risky business, creativity versus commerce, high production costs and low reproduction costs, semi-public goods.

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?

Audiences do not always respond the intended way a business could be trying to which could be negative meaning that a secure flow of money is not guaranteed.

6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I think media shouldn’t be made for profit all the time as it can reduce the symbolic value of art and its cultural significance as art and media has always been a way to spread beliefs freely but if this was always exploited for money it would eventually leave it with little meaning.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Companies will vertically interest rate as they control all production steps meaning costs can be minimised and controlled. Furthermore, this means they are giving less money to other companies as they can do all the necessary steps by them selves.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I think that content creators and the creative minds behind media products should be rewarded for their work as they are the ones jump starting famous media products and should be given credit and reward for their successful work.

9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?

As CGI became more available there was more competition meaning that there were smaller profit margins for visual effect companies.

10) What is commodification? 

Turning objects and services into commodities and giving them an exchange value.

11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

I agree as although people are represented in media texts through race or sexuality, different views are not reflected. However, even now most media texts fail to represent the basics things of race, culture and sexuality in media texts.

12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

I think the most important are that large cultural industries are now connected, operate across a range of cultural industries and that powerful IT companies work with these industries to understand and produce cultural products. I think these are the most important as it shows the struggle of smaller companies when competent with these conglomerates and shows how the industry is dominated by almost on big monopoly.