The Death of Mainstream Media? Paramount’s Power Grab Explained
Corporate consolidation meets political influence in Paramount’s Warner takeover. Independent media faces a defining test.
#antitrustConcerns #CBSNews #CNNOwnership #CorporateMedia #DavidEllison #democracyAndMedia #independentJournalism #journalismEthics #mediaConsolidation #mediaMonopoly #ParamountMerger #TrumpInfluence #WarnerBrosDiscovery https://wp.me/p1OjMZ-oKl
Started thinking more about media concentration after #FediCollective Brew Build 2.
Someone raised the question: how do decentralized platforms respond when most of the global feed is shaped by a handful of corporations?
It’s not just about hosting your own server or using open protocols. It’s about rethinking how stories are made, shared, and sustained outside corporate ecosystems.
Are we building new media, or just federating the old one?
Would love to hear from folks working on federated zines, podcasts, video hubs, alt-distribution tools (anything that challenges the default).
Drop links, ideas, critiques. Let’s map the alternatives. Thanks!
🧵 The Big 7 media giants shaping what most of the world watches, streams, and reads
1. Comcast: NBC, Universal, Sky, Peacock — cable, broadband, and Hollywood rolled into one
2. Disney: Marvel, Star Wars, ESPN, ABC — nostalgia and your kids’ favorite shows
3. Warner Bros.: Discovery, HBO, CNN, Max — drama, news, and nature docs
4. Paramount: CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon — big in broadcast and streaming
5. Sony: Movies, music, PlayStation — cross-cultural dominance
6. Netflix: Originals, algorithms, binge culture — the global studio in your pocket
7. Amazon: Prime Video, MGM, Twitch — retail entertainment meets surveillance capitalism
They own the pipelines and the stories.
What does #decentralization mean when 7 companies shape the global feed?
Can federated media offer real alternatives?
The decades-long trend that eased the way for Jimmy Kimmel's suspension
The long-shrinking number of media outlets and platforms has made it easier for the Trump admnistration to exercise control over the remaining outlets.
"In 1983, 90% of American media was owned by 50 media companies. By 2012, that number was 6. Today, it is just 5."
The Murdochs feud like petty royals, but their empire keeps poisoning democracy. Whether it’s Fox News radicalizing the US, Sky News fearmongering in the UK, or the Australian grinding axes here, their media machine exists to distort, divide, and entrench power.
And yet, as they bicker, the damage is done:
#Murdoch #MediaMonopoly #DemocracyInDecline ##MurdochRoyalCommission
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-murdochs-are-feuding-but-their-empire-is-thriving-20250603-p5m4fo.html
@Dianora You might find Hamilton Holt's Commercialism and Journalism of interest:
https://archive.org/details/commercialismjou00holtuoft/page/n11/mode/2up?view=theater
On the relationship between media monopoly, propaganda, censorship, surveillance, and manipulation:
Own work. I'd realised that manipulation (general and targeted) are another element in subsequent discussion. Tim Wu's The Master Switch, some of Bruce Schneier's work, and of course Shoshana Zuboff's Surveillance Capitalism echo similar themes, the latter was a strong influence. None fully develops the interconnectedness of all four aspects however.
#media #MediaMonopoly #surveillance #propaganda #censorship #manipulation
After observing the TikTok controversy, it’s clear that the dynamics with tech companies feel off. Meta openly promotes right-wing sentiment, while U.S. politicians collectively moved to ban TikTok, seemingly to position Meta and X as dominant social media platforms. The corruption is evident—if a company doesn’t align with U.S. interests, it risks being banned or forced into a sale.
#TechPolitics #TikTokBan #Meta #SocialMedia #Corruption #BigTech #USPolitics #TechCensorship #MediaMonopoly #DigitalPower #FreeMarket
Sadly, Fox News is not the only mass purveyor of far right MAGA biased news in the US.
Sinclair Broadcasting owns hundreds of US TV stations and does in local markets what Fox does nationally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkMyXPIZWZ4
#farrightmedia #sinclairbroadcasting #MAGApropaganda #mediamonopoly #usa #election2024
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