The American Media Monopoly Problem: Why Ownership Matters Now More Than Ever

• In Event: Media Ownership and Funding in the New Communication Environment

Abstract

It is a popular assumption that media ownership no longer matters—or at least matters less—in our digital age. Perhaps counterintuitively, the opposite might be true, especially since ownership in many sectors, including social media, search engines, internet service, as well as some types of news media, is extremely concentrated. The growing monopoly power within news and information systems holds profound implications for the future of journalism and for democratic governance. My presentation will reflect on how media monopolies—whether new platform giants like Facebook or conglomerates of older media like Comcast/NBC—hold tremendous power over political culture and communication infrastructures, both within the US and globally. In particular, I will focus on the policy roots of this monopoly power, and discuss what reforms are necessary for this power to be contested and contained.

Author

• Victor W. Pickard