Cultural Industries: blog task

 Go to our Media Factsheet archive and open Factsheet 168: David Hesmondhalgh’s ‘The Cultural Industries’. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can access it online here using your Greenford Google login. 

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

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

The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature. Cultural industries include television and film production, publishing, music, as well as crafts and design.

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

Hesmondhalgh explains that cultural industries are often knowledge-based, relying on intellectual property. These industries involve large-scale production, which creates employment opportunities and generates wealth in society.

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

Some media products challenge dominant ideologies because cultural industry companies are constantly competing to attract audiences. To stand out, they create content that is provocative or rebellious, appealing to viewers’ desire for the shocking or controversial.

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, low reproduction costs semi-public goods, requiring scarcity creation

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

Cultural industries are risky because there's no guarantee that a product will succeed. The success of media content is often unpredictable, making financial outcomes uncertain.

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 it’s a balance. While profit is necessary for survival, many creators are driven by passion and want to share their art. Ideally, media should balance both financial sustainability and meaningful artistic expression that adds value to society.

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 reduce risks and maximize profits through vertical integration and horizontal integration, giving them more control over the industry.

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?

Yes, I think the structure of cultural industries often reflects broader societal inequalities, with creators receiving less compensation compared to corporate executives. Content creators should be better rewarded, especially considering their role in producing valuable cultural products.

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?

The visual effects (VFX) industry has struggled due to the unfair distribution of profits. Despite large budgets for films, VFX companies are often underpaid and face poor working conditions, receiving a small share of the overall financial success of movies.

10) What is commodification? 

Commodification is the process of turning something into a product that can be bought or sold, transforming cultural or artistic works into marketable goods.

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?

Yes, I agree. Despite the large volume of media content produced, it often lacks diversity, both in terms of the range of perspectives presented and the representation of different social groups.

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.

Hesmondhalgh identifies digitalisation as a major shift in cultural industries, significantly impacting production, distribution, and consumption. This change has created new opportunities but also challenges for traditional media industries, leading to new business models and market dynamics.