Political economy of communications

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Political Economy of Communications is a branch of communication studies or media studies which studies the power relations that shape the communication of information from the mass media to its public.[1] PEC (Political Economy of Communications) analyzes the power relations between the mass media system, information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the wider socioeconomic structure in which these operate, with a focus on understanding the historical and current state of technological developments.[2][3] PEC has proliferated in the 2000s with the modernization of technology.[4] The advancement of media has created conversation about the effects of colonialism and PEC.[4]

Influences

Harold Innis, a foundational teacher of political economy.

One of the earliest modern works in political economy of communications scholarship is from Harold Innis, these theories were compiled in the book Empire and Communications. Innis directly inspired Marshall McLuhan, a colleague of his at the University of Toronto, who would later be made famous for the dictum "the medium is the message". Subsequent PEC approaches have been heavily influenced by Marxist thought and democratic politics, as it questions the powers residing within communications and the state necessary for democracy to be realized.[5] Below the theories and their approaches are explained:

  • critical theory works of Karl Marx.[6] A common critique of critical political economy (often from the cultural studies approach) is that, like Marx, it fetishizes capitalism and is deterministic technologically and/or economically.[1] Christian Fuchs and Vincent Mosco in their book Marx and the Political Economy of the Media compile the effects of media communication in a capitalist society. They note that the media is a circulator and contributor of ideologies, even more so with the prevalence of alternative news sources.[7]
  • Democratic Politics - PEC views media and information as the ultimate democratizer of power, and thus includes social praxis as a criterion. Ultimately, this means that PEC encourages media reform and government intervention in the marketplace.[3]
Marshall McLuhan, a cornerstone theorizer of media studies. Often known for the quotation, "the medium is the message."

Along with Innis and McLuhan, the political economy of communications was significantly impacted by economist Robert A. Brady’s teachings. Brady initiated a search of social practices and emerging authoritarianism that were later explored by Dallas W. Smythe and Herbert I. Schiller.[8][9] Brady did not officially work with the structure of Marxist philosophy; he was rather focused on “the interaction of social and economic factors in a business.[10] Lastly, after pursuing research Brady concluded that the principal issue was whether planning and decision making within a company could adapt to decision making by majority of votes.[4]

Central Characteristics

There are four central characteristics that are integral to expanding the definition of PEC. They provide the means to analyze an issue, technology or way of life through a political economic perspective.[11] The characteristics are as follows:

  • History and Social Change: It is necessary to analyze the history of a subject and compare it to the present day in order to find out who or what is responsible for social change. Through this, one is able to attain a deeper understanding and identify patterns that will provide guidance and clarity for future transformations and social change.[11]
  • Social Totality: This characteristic discusses the "big picture". It is necessary to look at circumstances through various point of views and determines the approach to other aspects such as economic, social and cultural to see what elements that society is lacking of and then find a solution to tackle the issue.[11]
  • Moral Philosophy or Ethics: Moral Philosophy or more commonly known as Ethics when used in PEC, serves to articulate morals that reside within economic and politically economic perspectives. When employing the characteristic in analysis, it is necessary to assess the moral implications of a situation, and how it impacts society as a whole.[11]
  • Praxis: A combination of "practice" and "theory". Praxis discusses the importance of action and intervention. Those who are examining a situation through a PEC lens should combine the knowledge attained from the three previous characteristics to paint a vivid picture that is flexible to reality and act where change is necessary and suitable for society, and human civilization.  [11]

Main Topics of Study

The political economy of communications looks at a range of issues that affect society. Below are the main topics of study that political economists often discuss.

News Corp
, a mass media conglomerate and a subject of concentrated ownership.

Journalism and Media

Because journalism/news media is the core to a functioning democratic society,[18] PEC works towards the goal of "healthy journalism."

Healthy journalism can be defined through four characteristics, outlined by

the United States, falls short of the general consensus among media scholars and democratic theory on what is considered to be healthy journalism. This is due in part to the overwhelming amount of public relations material being posed as news.[20][19]

It is in the interest of PEC that journalism instead provide a "rigorous account" of those in power, meet the information needs of all classes and people, be truthful, and act as an early warning system that provides a "wide range of informed opinions on the most important issues of our time."[19]

Propaganda: systematic thoughts, using information to influence audiences with the desire is to change their behaviors. The propaganda model can be made by anyone, who wants to advocate their thoughts. Different from the concept Ideology which operates unconsciously, propaganda is operated intentionally. The term propaganda model relates to news media, includes 5 filters which suggests how the news is "filtered" and edited into a content that suits the demand and interests of those people who have more power and wealth, especially corporations and the government.[21][22]

  • Size, ownership of the medium [22]
  • Medium's funding sources [22]
  • Sourcing [22]
  • Flak [22]
  • Anti-communism ideology [22]

New Media

digital era continues to shift people toward new media.[1] Traditional financial configurations and business models have been destabilized by this transformation. However, new mechanisms of power have emerged from this more open system of information and news creation. The availability of information can now be skewed or influenced through "search, aggregation, and digital distribution infrastructures" (p. 493).[20] Vincent Mosco's definition of political economic studies, where the "production, distribution, and consumption of resources, including communication resources” are essential, remains relevant in times of new media since a new network economy or society forms its own power relations.[23][24][20][25]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-900550-5
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  3. ^
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  5. doi:10.1386/macp.10.2.189_1
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  6. ^ Fuchs, Christan (2014). "WikiLeaks and the Critique of the Political Economy". International Journal of Communication. 8 (1932–8036/2014FEA0002): 2718–2732.
  7. ISBN 978-90-04-29140-9
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  8. ISSN 0899-7764
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  9. ISSN 1988-4001
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  10. S2CID 147588846
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  11. ^
    ISBN 9781412947015
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  13. OCLC 490137496
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  14. ISBN 9780203962824
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  15. ^ Murphy, Eryn (10 October 2019). "Meet SuperM: The New K-pop Group Set to Debut in America". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
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  17. ^ Harvey, David (2005). "Freedom's Just Another Word" (PDF). In a Brief History of Neoliberalism: 5–38.
  18. JSTOR 10.5406/j.ctt1xcjws
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  20. ^
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  21. OCLC 47971712.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
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  22. ^ a b c d e f Stuart, Allan (2010). "News, power and the public sphere". News Culture 3rd Edition: 8–26.
  23. OCLC 254487176
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  24. OCLC 271856987
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  25. ^ Boyd-Barrett, Oliver (1995). "The political economy approach" (PDF). Approaches to Media. Oxford University Press. pp. 186–192.
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