The Murdoch and Zuckerberg type of convergence

If convergence means that different media materials are eventually gathered and delivered at one single platform, I guess it is fair to say it can be seen as a type of convergence when the audience is consuming various media substances coming from one single source, right? Perhaps a controversial type of convergence arose from the conventional one.

We are all aware of the extent to which Murdoch controls the media we consume. He owns entertainment businesses, newspapers, book publisher, broadcasting….If this is not an example of convergence, then what can be? Apple, Facebook and Google are other very illustrative figures in this scenario as well.

Convergence may have granted us with the chance of experiencing mixed sensations by putting two distinct elements together. I wonder though, if such comfort and convenience didn’t make us harm somehow. I personally cannot detach the idea of convergence from the idea that it creates a monopoly, it facilitates takeover within the media market – which is lethal to small and independent companies trying to put their ideas out there. Considering a more dramatic approach, wouldn’t this hurt the diversity we have – and need – in democratic societies?

One concrete case exposing these destructive forces is the recent announcement that ‘The Independent’ will run online exclusively. Some claim the ‘Indy’ could not cope with pressure of the tough news market and who can blame them?

1 Comment

  1. This is quite an interesting point of view. Media convergence certainly creates media monopoly, and the example with ‘The Independent’ illustrates that perfectly. Let’s take a look at the daily circulation of the national newspapers. The leading newspaper is The Sun, owned by Murdoch, with 1,809,240. For comparison, The Independent’s average readership is 60,438. Here is the link: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/national-newspaper-circulations-may-2015-mail-sunday-overtakes-sun-sunday-times-remains-biggest-growing. This proves your point to the extent that independent media cannot compete with media conglomerates.
    Furthermore, media convergence is a threat to traditional media, which is proven by the fact that The Independent has a larger online readership than print. This is described in these statistics: http://www.newsworks.org.uk/The-Independent

    Like

Leave a comment