Cultural Industries

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

Refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature

2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

Hesmondhalgh said that cultural industries are highly profitable.

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

Some media products want to gradually stay away from being bias therefore they have to show two arguments for their opinions which often leads to challenging initialism and society's inequalities with these certain ideologies. 

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

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?

Hesmondhalgh says that media companies are a risky business. There is no guarantee a creative product will be a success.

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?

In my opinion, I strongly disagree about the fact that media should be all about 'profit'. Media products are a form of artistic expression and they play a very important role in society. 



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

One way is through promotion. This is where the company creates an advert or banner to promote their company.

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 strongly agree that content creator such as YouTubers should be more credited for the media products they create and produce. Hours and days are spent on planning for the content they're producing and all of them start off with nothing. They should definitely be better rewarded for their work that they produce.



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 Freakonomics podcast speaks about the Visual-Effects Industry suffering from bankruptcy despite the fact it is key in most films including award winning films such as Life Of Pi that has won the oscars. 



10) What is commodification? 

Turning everything into something that can be bought or sold.

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 with the fact that huge number of media texts are created however, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society. This is because the media mainly only focuses on politics and talks about opinions they believe in e.g. some newspapers are more left wing and some are more right wing. They fail so include everyones opinions on the particular topic.

12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? 

Hesmondhalgh acknowledges that media companies are operating a risky business. There is no guarantee a creative product will be a success.