The Cultural Industries

 Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

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

Cultural Industries refers to 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 identified that the societies tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money.

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

This happens because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with each other to secure audience members. As such, companies outdo each other to try and satisfy audience desires for the shocking, profane or rebellious.

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

Problems:

• Risky business
• Creativity versus commerce
• High production costs and low reproduction costs
• Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity

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

So many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved because the industries are not sure whether their media product would be successful or not. 

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 the media products should be a from of artistic expression as the producers wouldn't get as much profit if their product isn't that creative that could lead to a waste of time and effort. If media producers focuses on profit they should have an idea on what would appeal to the audiences.

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

By having a vertical or horizontal integration. This allows the cultural industry to not have a limited perspective which only focuses on one idea, leading to audiences to criticise their idea. In addition, it allows the the industry to not be vulnerable when it comes to market fluctuations. 

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 don't agree that the way the cultural industries operation reflects the inequalities and injustice of wider society because the industries produces their media products based on one perspective and it depends on the audiences if they want to criticise it. In addition, the audiences may take the industries' idea in a different way, depending on their mindset and how they might exaggerate things.  Furthermore, the creators and the creative minds should be rewarded for their work as the industry get profit from their ideas and how audiences are appealed by it, allowing them to gain a range of audiences as audiences would spread the industry through word of mouth if they find it interesting, and if it passes their standards as well as the modern society in today's generation. 

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 industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies due to bankruptcy, where several hundreds of their visual effects workers were protesting outside the Oscars, claiming that their industry was being crushed by outside economy and political forces.

10) What is commodification? 

This involves the transforming of objects and services into commodities. At its most basic level, it involves producing things not only for use, but also for exchange.

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 some media texts today are only producing texts due to the idea of rapid change in society which leads them to not think about the diversity or opinion in wider society, leading to a waste of effort. They also don't take into account what the other ideas are and the idea that is different to theirs. 

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 suggest the cultural industries have changed from objects and services to commodities. 

• Ownership and organisation of cultural industries is now much broader - the largest cultural companies now operate across a range of cultural industries (for example, TV, publishing and film).
• Digitalisation, the internet and mobile phones have multiplied the ways audience can gain access to cultural content. This has made small scale production much easier for millions of people (think self-representation + prosumers).
• These large conglomerates are now connected in complex ways however there are also many small and medium sized companies who create cultural products. These companies are becoming increasingly connected with other medium and large cultural industries.

These developments are the most important because it allows the industries to have less risks and it allows the industries to gain more audiences as it allows the audiences to have an easy access to cultural contents.