In all its forms, media influences what we buy and what we think

The fact that the media you take in every day has subtle power over your decisions and your thoughts is probably not news to you. But did you know that the television and the movies you see, the sports teams you support, the music you buy and listen to, and the magazines you read, even some of the Internet sites you visit frequently, are all controlled by a handful of huge companies?

Twenty years ago, there were 29 entertainment firms that shared 100 billion dollars in revenues; today, there are six huge conglomerates that take in over 400 billion in revenues and control most of the media outlets in the United States. (Stopbigmedia Website, 2008).

So what, you say? Companies are allowed to make money, right?

But do you think so few companies ought to have so much control over what you see on television or in the movies?

Or what television shows are aired or not, and what movies are made?

Do you think that so few people ought to control what you listen to on the radio, or the headlines you see on the news or in a newspaper?

Consider the facts: -more than 75% of the U.S. radio market is controlled by a few companies that own more than 40 radio stations. (One of them, Clear Channel, owns more than 1,200 stations!)  

Could this explain, in part, why you hear the same songs on every station, and never hear your favorite independent artists?

Did you know that women make up 51 percent of the U.S. population, and minorities make up 34 percent, but they own less than ten percent, collectively, of all television stations?

RIGHT NOW…

• Write down your three favorite: - movies

• - television shows• Songs• Your favorite apps• Video games