A film blog for students of my classes at Santa Clara University. Use this blog to discuss the films we are studying, classic films, current releases or production issues you encounter while making your own films.
Thursday, January 08, 2015
Agency
Why is it important to consider media workers' "agency" when studying the industry?
It would be ideal to assume that media workers have entire agency in their companies and creations, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Though all media workers may not have equal agency, it is still important to consider all of them "agency."
In having agency, media workers possess an extent of control, or total control over what and how their work functions in the media world. That control thus makes them an influential and meaningful impactor of whatever company they work for, and contributes to the content and products put out to the public through their work.
When viewing content or looking at products provided by the industry, it is important to consider agency in understanding the purpose of what is being analyzed. How much agency was allowed to creators by the company? How was that agency affected by other aspects of the industry, like trends and tastes? How could the agency have been limited? Can too much agency get creators into trouble? Or should everyone have complete agency?
Either way, it is important to remember that media workers deal with agency, and in considering them "agency," it becomes easier to understand motives and reasons behind creation and production.
As Vierra said, it would be nice to assume and believe that media workers act entirely through their own agency, but it is not the case. The media industry is, for the most part, a profit driven industry. Media workers have an obligation, to varying degrees, to give the companies they work for the best chance at turning a profit. This obligation has the potential to affect the amount of agency a media creator and worker has. Media workers, most often, do not have total control over the media they create. I think it is important to consider a media workers agency when trying to pinpoint a media works beliefs and values based on the beliefs and values in their work. Because media workers lack total agency over their work, their beliefs and values and ideologies aren’t necessarily present in the works they create. For example, an episode of The Newsroom recently caused controversy over a dialogue between two characters about campus rape. The screenwriter for the show, Aaron Sorkin, has an obligation to people other than just himself, and the scene he wrote does not necessarily reflect his personal views on rape. He could have potentially just been trying to tap into the current media frenzy surrounding the issue to raise awareness for his show and increase his viewership. I believe it is important to look at the motives and reasoning behind many of the decisions media works make.
It is important to consider media workers’ “agency” when studying the industry because the degree to which agency exists for these individuals largely determines what manner of texts are produced by their creators and for what purpose. Agency here refers to the freedom and autonomy that media workers are allowed to utilize in the creative process of making texts. Employees of the media industry may experience a lack of agency as they are heavily pressured to conform to corporate interests and produce only texts that fit their employer’s ideologies and standards, leaving little room for the personal creativity that should characterize the industry. Instead, these workers are urged not only to maintain, but also to internalize and affirm the status quo, while perpetuating the power of those who fund the creation of the texts, through the movies, television shows, and music that media workers produce. The ideas of these media workers may not be entirely their own, but instead levied by the corporations and organizations in charge.
Ultimately, in considering the agency of media workers, we can see the relationships that exist between creative bodies and those that fund their work, as well as the encouragement or discouragement of creative expression in texts. In studying the industry, it’s important to acknowledge this idea because we should be aware of the influence and demands made on creative individuals by corporations that desire profit and power. We should realize that culture, expectations, and the norms of companies and organizations harbor control over the production of essentially all of the film, television, and music that we consume. Finally, we need to understand that artists, producers, actors, and other media workers may not necessarily be wholly in control of their freedom or opportunities to showcase their creativity and personal expression, but may be forced to “sellout” and produce work that conforms to the desires and expectations of their respective company or label.
(Kygo, I’m looking at you, as you are an excellent example of the loss of agency and creative freedom faced by an artist, and the eventual submission to the wishes and direction of a label)
It is important to consider media workers' "agency" or the lack of agency when studying the industry because it is important to see that the industry control the creators, and most of the time, the creators do not control the industry. The people with the most power in the industry often have the job that involves the least creativity, and they are inclined to release media they think will generate the most revenue. Lots of people notice and criticize this idea in the music industry. An artist they like who may not be signed to a label gets a record deal, and their music changes into whatever type of music of popular at the time. I see this as one way (but definitely not the only way) an artist can gain fans and respect in the industry. After they have a substantial amount of fans, some artists will have more agency in what they are allowed to create by their label, and they music may shift back to what their original fans loved them for. Overall, it is important to realize that many media workers do not have much agency because they are driven by the industry to create what will make the most money.
It is important to consider media workers agency because of the lack of agency that many media workers have. The ideas or story lines that they put out must benefit the company. By this I mean the ideas and story lines that are created by media workers have to turn a profit for the company. The lack of agency means that the media workers might not be able to get all of their ideas out there. These could be taboo topics that the culture is sensitive to. For example, a writer may have a brilliant idea for a television show that features a trans couple. While the media worker may have actors in mind and ways to address social issues, the company might not go for it. Many people in our culture are still cautious about things outside of the norm, so depicting something that is not considered normal might not go over very well. Immediately I think of the backlash from the Cheerios commercial that we talked about in class. Even though there are definitely mixed race couples, many people were still outraged that the couple was shown on television. To me it shouldn't matter what the coupling is or what the actors identify as. What should matter is that the content is interesting and made well. As long as the content isn't racist or homophobic, media workers should have the ability to produce almost any kind of content they want.
We should consider media workers' "agency" because it's important to observe their intentions, and if they run parallel with what they're truly interested in content-wise. Like we talked about in class, the operation of industries is always developing and changing so it's important to look at all of the processes involved and the dominant ideologies of the particular time. The authors of the book mention an argument that by the time media workers attain some autonomy in an industry, they have "already internalized the world views" of said company. While this may be true, we have to understand that companies work to support the interests of large audiences, not just those of the workers or the elite.
In my opinion, learning about media workers' agency means learning about the authenticity of these workers and the companies they work for. Large companies aim to please the masses, therefore potentially ignoring the needs or desires of the media workers.
Workers have the freedom to choose which company they want to work for so if the ideologies of the company shifts from when they first began working, the solution should be to find something else that better suits them.
Overall, I agree with Sara about the importance of looking at agency in order to fully understand the production process and everything that goes into it. Because we can't fully know how much agency media workers have over their work, we can hope that their goals and ideas are somewhat acknowledged or that they support the product they put out.
In order to study the media industry it is imperative to consider the agency of the workers. Companies exist to make money so that will always be one of the top priorities in making decisions. In addition, corporate values dictate the content produced. These priorities trickle down to the workers, altering their ability to act upon their own will. Workers essentially have their hands tied. Thus, their beliefs and values are not necessarily present in the content produced. The result is a mainstream culture in which we come to view as normal. Dominant ideologies become present while other views are left in the dark.
All of this becomes important to the audience because we are ultimately the ones consuming the content. The content affects our societal beliefs, ideologies, and values. With so many topics left uncovered there is a skewed perception of the world.
I think agency is important to study within media industries because there is a lack of agency, which affects the texts that are being produced within those industries. I would argue that there is more circumscribed agency which assumes that choices we make are not really our own, nor are they simply imposed upon us from outside forces. While America is known for being a land of free-thinkers, how much of our choices and decisions are influence by media? Within media industries, the commercial mandate is to make money. So media workers produce only the texts that will not only make money but continue to make money, especially in popular culture. Like Savannah said, the industry control the creators, which means the creators do not control the industry. New operations and texts are produced based on what media industries decide will generate the most public interest and make money. This doesn't mean that there is no agency for media workers, but that it is limited.
Music industries are prime examples because they keep producing music for and promoting artists who are very popular to the public, even though their music remains the same. That is why artists like Katy Perry, One Direction, Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, and Justin Bieber had movies about their journey through the music world, because it promoted their music and turned a profit. It is harder for musicians who are different from the norm to get signed without sacrificing some of their autonomy in the process. Although some musicians decide not to sell out and keep control of their agency. For example, musicians Macklemore and Ryan Lewis stood alone and decided that they wanted to produce music that was entirely their own and do it their way, so they rejected offers from several record labels and formed their own label.
We like to think think that we have absolute freedom, that we have total agency and individualism. In fact our agency is compounded by social constructivism. In the media industry often the agency we are talking about is circumscribed agency, which follows the same lines. We aren’t entirely imposed upon or forced to make decisions, but certain mores and cultural norms shape our actions. Not only are we impacted by our culture and society, but we are impacted by professional expectations and organizational practices and norms where we work.
Circumscribed agency directly impacts the media industry and how it operates because every worker in the media industry is their own creative agent. Yet at the same time that individual agency and energy is being circumscribed. In order to understand how a vision is developed for example (at least in creative development) it is just as important to take note and understand the individual visions that create the whole, similarly to how we look at the framework of the media industry and how it impacts culture.
I agree with Mckenzie that it is important to look at the relationship between media individuals and their affiliate companies in terms of whether the individuals are creating content using their personal agency or if their content is being shaped and/or created by the companies themselves.
Often times, it becomes clear that record labels, production companies, and other mass media corporations are behind the production of the content that the artists within the company create. The figureheads of these corporations use the artists as a vessel to get their own ideas out to the world. Usually, this is all for profit, for the figureheads believe that they know what will be successful in the industry - and most of the time they are right.
But even in the case that the big corporations aren't pushing content onto their artists, agency becomes circumscribed when the artists/individuals change their artistic vision because of the influence of culture, professional expectations, and their corporations general ideologies. Generally, most of the people under one corporation hold similar ideologies. As time goes on, their ideologies grow more and more alike, simply because they are surrounded by one another everyday. This makes it easy for individuals to be influenced by this and unkowingly make choices that aren't fully their own. The individuals may then create content that matches the expectations of the corporation or the trends present in present day rather than stepping out and creating content that is truly their individual artistic vision.
In the rare case that media individuals can ignore the pressure of outside forces and use agency to create content that maintains their own interests and ideologies, new trends emerge. This is why it is so important for personal agency to exist in the industry. We need unique content!
It is important to consider media workers' agency when studying the industry, because the text and content that they they produce oftentimes relies heavily on it. Agency refers to the ability and freedom that a person has to choose an action. The various ideologies at the time, especially the dominant ones, tend to shape the way that media workers produce their own content. I agree that workers may feel “obligated” to conform to dominant ideologies in order to make a profit. Those who choose to take a risk and not follow the trend are at a higher risk of not being successful. However, they may create a new mainstream trend towards a particular style. I agree with what Meaghan said and think that it is critical to our society that more media producers create what they want, so we can be exposed to these new ideologies. These media workers have agency to some degree, but they are oftentimes bound to what consumers and companies want.
Paris makes a very good point when she mentions that "we are impacted by professional expectations and organizational practices" where we work, and I completely agree. Many aspects come into play when discussing a person's agency and what results from their agency, which is why it is important to consider the media workers agency when taking in their content. A major piece of the puzzle, that I learned about in Comm. 123 A Media and Youth, is how money is one of the biggest factors that influences the media that we take in through the agency of the company producing the content. For example, say Disney has a show where they discuss issues that adolescents have to face in tough years, such as peer pressure to smoke; of a sponsor of the show is a tobacco company they are not going to be happy if they air an anti-smoking episode that may reduce their sales. You have to take the information you are receiving with a grain of salt, because often the media workers' involved agency can alter the content that we are taking in. This is commonly seen in news networks. Often 'how' information is delivered has to do with the network as a whole's, or high executives in the networks, individual motives. Again often money has a lot to do with this issue and can really impact us as the viewer if we don't take the time to look into the media worker's agency.
When studying the industry, it is important to consider the "agency" of media workers since it is the basis for the content that gets created. The large problem is that the media is a for-profit industry, comprised of individuals always searching for the next "big hit" that could make millions. Because of this I think that a lot of times the agency of media workers becomes limited. Though they like to believe they have the freedom to create whatever they want, I think that they often become trapped and feel the need to conform to what is dominant, in order to make profit. tThis relates to the idea of circumscribed agency which debates if we truly have freedom, or if we can't help but shape our thinking around the outside forces that surround us. It is critical to understand these factors when studying the industry because we must understand what drives the content that we so eagerly consume.
There is a definite lack of agency among many media workers, and this lack is why it is important to regard media workers agency. The lack of agency is due to the fact that the industry is motivated by money. Everything that is produced and put into the market must be able to turn a profit and make the most possible revenue. Because of this, many creative and new ideas don't get created because media workers would rather be cautious, stick with the norm and go with projects that they know works and will be profitable. Media workers are very much controlled by the environment that they work and these workers who are working in a seemingly creative industry are completely controlled by ideas that will make the most money rather than pushing the boundaries.
Agency, or autonomy, gives media workers reasons for developing the content that is released that would most benefit the general audience and the agency. I agree with Melinda about the lack of agency could cause lack of individuality in content, however it is understandable that the ideologies of a single person may not be an ideology that the agency wants to show the world. On the other hand, some companies consider releasing new, individual concepts in hopes of developing popularity with that content. The people in the agencies who have to consider the risk of releasing the content consider the supply and demand of the economy by going off of the industrialization of cultural framework to decide what would be favored by the public. In conclusion, it’s important to consider media workers agency in order to realize the motives of the workers’ content.
It is important to think about the agency (or lack of) of media workers when studying the industry because the company they work for can have a large influence on how much agency they really have in their work. The values of the individual media workers may not always be in line with the values of the corporation they work for. While the workers may have a variety of desires when creating content—to make something creative/unique, to make something that exposes and injustice, etc.—the corporation will most likely be primarily concerned with making money. Due to this, the agency of the workers will be limited to some degree because their goals may not line up with the company’s goal of making money. Ultimately, the audience is going to see not exclusively what the media workers produced, but what they produced under the influence and limitations of the company.
It is essential to study the agency of media workers in different industries for a number of reasons. For one, media workers, like all other people, are influenced by their daily interaction with the media. Therefore, they are shaped by what they witness and experience. They bring their different values and ideas (that are shaped by their experiences) to the workplace and create a text that is then produced and fed to a range of audiences. In response, these different audiences are also shaped by the media that they see. Therefore, one can concluded that media workers have the ability to culturally shape audiences. Another reason why it is important to study the agency of media workers is because sometimes, different corporations allow for no unique agency. They might have one core message that they want to send to audiences and that message can not be influenced by others' ideas and values. Therefore, there is a lack of agency and a lack of individuality in some corporations' productions.
It is important to consider agency when studying the industry because it provides background and information about what direction the industry may be heading in next. By understanding agency and how much is being exerted versus how much is controlled we can understand how the media industry works and when it allows for the most agency to be exerted. The best example in this case is the movie The Interview. When studying agency it is assumed advertisers and production companies have the most agency, in this case Sony. Yet Sony allowed both James Franco and Seth Rogen to produce a movie about assassinating the leader of North Korea, clearly Sony gave the two friends plenty of agency in the creation of their film. It can be assumed from this situation that trusted individuals with fame can sometimes have more agency then the company that owns them. If two nobodies asked Sony to make the same film they most likely would have said no. This same theory can be used on various types of media to gain an understanding of who is really in control. In some cases it is the production company and other times it is the famous stars trying to gain involvement in multiple areas of the industry. It might not be long till the famous Seth Rogen and James Franco jump on board the music industry. The amount of agency they have is directly related to the money in their pockets. By studying agency it allows us to see who is behind the entertainment we digest on a daily basis and what they want us to absorb from it.
It's important to understand media workers' agency when studying the industry because it helps us better understand the way that the system works, in addition to explaining who gains authority of the product we are being presented.
I've been reading the Steve Jobs biography, and it just got past the section about his involvement with Pixar Studios. The chapter discussed the making of Toy Story, the company's first feature film. Even though it was created by Pixar, Disney and Jeffrey Katzenberg (who later went onto start Dreamworks) had a great majority of ownership over the project. Although they were all "agency", Disney's staff ended up having the majority agency over the final product (for awhile) even though the script, concept, characters, etc. were created by the Pixar staff.
It's important to understand the concept of agency because, at the end of the day, it's important to know where the work that we're being presented comes from, and how exactly it's being produced.
A media worker's agency is vital to what gets created and put into the world. While it may be noble for a media worker to have the agency to create what they believe to be important work, they don't always have that luxury. The business is give and take, push and pull, supply and demand. One must create what is needed, even if it's not what they want. Their agency allows them to explore that space and see what they can create, however, there is also other factors that limit, encourage, or urge media workers and impact their work. Therefore, it is important to know that while they are creating, they are not free agents.
It's important to consider agency because it calls for the content that will be created, based on various points of view, beliefs, impact or popularity. The creative content of different styles and purpose are all very different yet the same for the reason of making a profit. Profit is what ultimately drives the entertainment industry and the content that creates the profit is important to study because we can see the trends of popularity through different mediums and especially through different age, race or economic social groups.
It is important to consider media workers’ agency because media workers have so much agency both of visibly and invisibly and we have to consider about the media industries’ characteristics about limit of ideologies that some particular thoughts are influenced. Public ideologies are influenced by media, which is produced by workers of media industries, although the ideologies of workers of media industries, most of whom are high-status and are in specific similar position, are shaped particularly and limitedly. Thus, the workers have to include broad range of ideological positions as possible to let public accept the products and to impact the public. Moreover, it is also because there is restriction of individuality and creativity because convention such as genre makes the workers of media industries narrow talents, cultures and ideologies by avoiding risk and issues, which the workers are worried, because of the effect to the society such as political incidents by the media.
I disagree with everyone. There is no such thing as agency in media workers. No one can ever have fully autonomy. After all this is a business we are talking about. We are just little bits of a larger cultural machine. Our ideologies become convergent with our culture. We are like little pieces that fit nicely in the elaborate industrialization of culture framework. While at times the “culture” can change it usually only does so in slight variations. While workers sometimes like to convince themselves they have artistic and creative freedom they are in reality victims to the business of media where the ultimate force driving everyone is making monaayyyyy! woot woot! after all don’t we all need to eat? and who would decline 100,000 bucks to have their characters walk around sipping starbucks all day? Of course you say what about the artist who is so divergent and cool like the trendy star Shailene Woodley in that hip original movie divergent? So inspirational and morally superior, sticking to their ethical grounds despite the masses! Go artisit go! until you run out of your last top ramen so you waltz over to Disney and make Hannah Montanna and it’s a smash hit, the bucks start flowing in and suddenly you think to yourself this is the life hold on tight this is the dream its all I need! You realize that you had no idea what you were thinking with your past set of righteous morals and individuality the one true god is success! I am free! Money! Its so funny how similar I think to everyone who works here at Dinsey! I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before ☺ - Kerri Anderson
It is important to study agency vs. structure within the media industry because it has a powerful effect on the way it works, common to many other industries. I agree with Kerri’s point that people within the media industry never reach full autonomy. As the book explains to us, people within the media industry are constantly dealing with the Industrialization of Culture Framework, where the players in these industries are juggling social trends, mandates, conditions, practices, texts, and the public. All within the broader influences of the culture. With all these moving counterparts, it is theoretically impossible for someone to achieve full autonomy.
However, I would argue that the media industries within the United States, including Hollywood, have a much larger degree of autonomy compared to other countries around the world. Even though money has the final say, the material that we are allowed to say and let be scene is far more mature in its themes than many counterparts. It could be seen as having practically full autonomy from people in different countries.
25 comments:
It would be ideal to assume that media workers have entire agency in their companies and creations, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Though all media workers may not have equal agency, it is still important to consider all of them "agency."
In having agency, media workers possess an extent of control, or total control over what and how their work functions in the media world. That control thus makes them an influential and meaningful impactor of whatever company they work for, and contributes to the content and products put out to the public through their work.
When viewing content or looking at products provided by the industry, it is important to consider agency in understanding the purpose of what is being analyzed. How much agency was allowed to creators by the company? How was that agency affected by other aspects of the industry, like trends and tastes? How could the agency have been limited? Can too much agency get creators into trouble? Or should everyone have complete agency?
Either way, it is important to remember that media workers deal with agency, and in considering them "agency," it becomes easier to understand motives and reasons behind creation and production.
As Vierra said, it would be nice to assume and believe that media workers act entirely through their own agency, but it is not the case. The media industry is, for the most part, a profit driven industry. Media workers have an obligation, to varying degrees, to give the companies they work for the best chance at turning a profit. This obligation has the potential to affect the amount of agency a media creator and worker has. Media workers, most often, do not have total control over the media they create. I think it is important to consider a media workers agency when trying to pinpoint a media works beliefs and values based on the beliefs and values in their work. Because media workers lack total agency over their work, their beliefs and values and ideologies aren’t necessarily present in the works they create. For example, an episode of The Newsroom recently caused controversy over a dialogue between two characters about campus rape. The screenwriter for the show, Aaron Sorkin, has an obligation to people other than just himself, and the scene he wrote does not necessarily reflect his personal views on rape. He could have potentially just been trying to tap into the current media frenzy surrounding the issue to raise awareness for his show and increase his viewership. I believe it is important to look at the motives and reasoning behind many of the decisions media works make.
It is important to consider media workers’ “agency” when studying the industry because the degree to which agency exists for these individuals largely determines what manner of texts are produced by their creators and for what purpose. Agency here refers to the freedom and autonomy that media workers are allowed to utilize in the creative process of making texts. Employees of the media industry may experience a lack of agency as they are heavily pressured to conform to corporate interests and produce only texts that fit their employer’s ideologies and standards, leaving little room for the personal creativity that should characterize the industry. Instead, these workers are urged not only to maintain, but also to internalize and affirm the status quo, while perpetuating the power of those who fund the creation of the texts, through the movies, television shows, and music that media workers produce. The ideas of these media workers may not be entirely their own, but instead levied by the corporations and organizations in charge.
Ultimately, in considering the agency of media workers, we can see the relationships that exist between creative bodies and those that fund their work, as well as the encouragement or discouragement of creative expression in texts. In studying the industry, it’s important to acknowledge this idea because we should be aware of the influence and demands made on creative individuals by corporations that desire profit and power. We should realize that culture, expectations, and the norms of companies and organizations harbor control over the production of essentially all of the film, television, and music that we consume. Finally, we need to understand that artists, producers, actors, and other media workers may not necessarily be wholly in control of their freedom or opportunities to showcase their creativity and personal expression, but may be forced to “sellout” and produce work that conforms to the desires and expectations of their respective company or label.
(Kygo, I’m looking at you, as you are an excellent example of the loss of agency and creative freedom faced by an artist, and the eventual submission to the wishes and direction of a label)
It is important to consider media workers' "agency" or the lack of agency when studying the industry because it is important to see that the industry control the creators, and most of the time, the creators do not control the industry. The people with the most power in the industry often have the job that involves the least creativity, and they are inclined to release media they think will generate the most revenue.
Lots of people notice and criticize this idea in the music industry. An artist they like who may not be signed to a label gets a record deal, and their music changes into whatever type of music of popular at the time. I see this as one way (but definitely not the only way) an artist can gain fans and respect in the industry. After they have a substantial amount of fans, some artists will have more agency in what they are allowed to create by their label, and they music may shift back to what their original fans loved them for.
Overall, it is important to realize that many media workers do not have much agency because they are driven by the industry to create what will make the most money.
It is important to consider media workers agency because of the lack of agency that many media workers have. The ideas or story lines that they put out must benefit the company. By this I mean the ideas and story lines that are created by media workers have to turn a profit for the company.
The lack of agency means that the media workers might not be able to get all of their ideas out there. These could be taboo topics that the culture is sensitive to. For example, a writer may have a brilliant idea for a television show that features a trans couple. While the media worker may have actors in mind and ways to address social issues, the company might not go for it. Many people in our culture are still cautious about things outside of the norm, so depicting something that is not considered normal might not go over very well.
Immediately I think of the backlash from the Cheerios commercial that we talked about in class. Even though there are definitely mixed race couples, many people were still outraged that the couple was shown on television. To me it shouldn't matter what the coupling is or what the actors identify as. What should matter is that the content is interesting and made well. As long as the content isn't racist or homophobic, media workers should have the ability to produce almost any kind of content they want.
We should consider media workers' "agency" because it's important to observe their intentions, and if they run parallel with what they're truly interested in content-wise. Like we talked about in class, the operation of industries is always developing and changing so it's important to look at all of the processes involved and the dominant ideologies of the particular time. The authors of the book mention an argument that by the time media workers attain some autonomy in an industry, they have "already internalized the world views" of said company. While this may be true, we have to understand that companies work to support the interests of large audiences, not just those of the workers or the elite.
In my opinion, learning about media workers' agency means learning about the authenticity of these workers and the companies they work for. Large companies aim to please the masses, therefore potentially ignoring the needs or desires of the media workers.
Workers have the freedom to choose which company they want to work for so if the ideologies of the company shifts from when they first began working, the solution should be to find something else that better suits them.
Overall, I agree with Sara about the importance of looking at agency in order to fully understand the production process and everything that goes into it. Because we can't fully know how much agency media workers have over their work, we can hope that their goals and ideas are somewhat acknowledged or that they support the product they put out.
In order to study the media industry it is imperative to consider the agency of the workers. Companies exist to make money so that will always be one of the top priorities in making decisions. In addition, corporate values dictate the content produced. These priorities trickle down to the workers, altering their ability to act upon their own will. Workers essentially have their hands tied. Thus, their beliefs and values are not necessarily present in the content produced. The result is a mainstream culture in which we come to view as normal. Dominant ideologies become present while other views are left in the dark.
All of this becomes important to the audience because we are ultimately the ones consuming the content. The content affects our societal beliefs, ideologies, and values. With so many topics left uncovered there is a skewed perception of the world.
I think agency is important to study within media industries because there is a lack of agency, which affects the texts that are being produced within those industries. I would argue that there is more circumscribed agency which assumes that choices we make are not really our own, nor are they simply imposed upon us from outside forces. While America is known for being a land of free-thinkers, how much of our choices and decisions are influence by media? Within media industries, the commercial mandate is to make money. So media workers produce only the texts that will not only make money but continue to make money, especially in popular culture. Like Savannah said, the industry control the creators, which means the creators do not control the industry. New operations and texts are produced based on what media industries decide will generate the most public interest and make money. This doesn't mean that there is no agency for media workers, but that it is limited.
Music industries are prime examples because they keep producing music for and promoting artists who are very popular to the public, even though their music remains the same. That is why artists like Katy Perry, One Direction, Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, and Justin Bieber had movies about their journey through the music world, because it promoted their music and turned a profit. It is harder for musicians who are different from the norm to get signed without sacrificing some of their autonomy in the process. Although some musicians decide not to sell out and keep control of their agency. For example, musicians Macklemore and Ryan Lewis stood alone and decided that they wanted to produce music that was entirely their own and do it their way, so they rejected offers from several record labels and formed their own label.
We like to think think that we have absolute freedom, that we have total agency and individualism. In fact our agency is compounded by social constructivism. In the media industry often the agency we are talking about is circumscribed agency, which follows the same lines. We aren’t entirely imposed upon or forced to make decisions, but certain mores and cultural norms shape our actions. Not only are we impacted by our culture and society, but we are impacted by professional expectations and organizational practices and norms where we work.
Circumscribed agency directly impacts the media industry and how it operates because every worker in the media industry is their own creative agent. Yet at the same time that individual agency and energy is being circumscribed. In order to understand how a vision is developed for example (at least in creative development) it is just as important to take note and understand the individual visions that create the whole, similarly to how we look at the framework of the media industry and how it impacts culture.
I agree with Mckenzie that it is important to look at the relationship between media individuals and their affiliate companies in terms of whether the individuals are creating content using their personal agency or if their content is being shaped and/or created by the companies themselves.
Often times, it becomes clear that record labels, production companies, and other mass media corporations are behind the production of the content that the artists within the company create. The figureheads of these corporations use the artists as a vessel to get their own ideas out to the world. Usually, this is all for profit, for the figureheads believe that they know what will be successful in the industry - and most of the time they are right.
But even in the case that the big corporations aren't pushing content onto their artists, agency becomes circumscribed when the artists/individuals change their artistic vision because of the influence of culture, professional expectations, and their corporations general ideologies. Generally, most of the people under one corporation hold similar ideologies. As time goes on, their ideologies grow more and more alike, simply because they are surrounded by one another everyday. This makes it easy for individuals to be influenced by this and unkowingly make choices that aren't fully their own. The individuals may then create content that matches the expectations of the corporation or the trends present in present day rather than stepping out and creating content that is truly their individual artistic vision.
In the rare case that media individuals can ignore the pressure of outside forces and use agency to create content that maintains their own interests and ideologies, new trends emerge. This is why it is so important for personal agency to exist in the industry. We need unique content!
It is important to consider media workers' agency when studying the industry, because the text and content that they they produce oftentimes relies heavily on it. Agency refers to the ability and freedom that a person has to choose an action. The various ideologies at the time, especially the dominant ones, tend to shape the way that media workers produce their own content. I agree that workers may feel “obligated” to conform to dominant ideologies in order to make a profit. Those who choose to take a risk and not follow the trend are at a higher risk of not being successful. However, they may create a new mainstream trend towards a particular style. I agree with what Meaghan said and think that it is critical to our society that more media producers create what they want, so we can be exposed to these new ideologies. These media workers have agency to some degree, but they are oftentimes bound to what consumers and companies want.
Paris makes a very good point when she mentions that "we are impacted by professional expectations and organizational practices" where we work, and I completely agree. Many aspects come into play when discussing a person's agency and what results from their agency, which is why it is important to consider the media workers agency when taking in their content. A major piece of the puzzle, that I learned about in Comm. 123 A Media and Youth, is how money is one of the biggest factors that influences the media that we take in through the agency of the company producing the content. For example, say Disney has a show where they discuss issues that adolescents have to face in tough years, such as peer pressure to smoke; of a sponsor of the show is a tobacco company they are not going to be happy if they air an anti-smoking episode that may reduce their sales. You have to take the information you are receiving with a grain of salt, because often the media workers' involved agency can alter the content that we are taking in. This is commonly seen in news networks. Often 'how' information is delivered has to do with the network as a whole's, or high executives in the networks, individual motives. Again often money has a lot to do with this issue and can really impact us as the viewer if we don't take the time to look into the media worker's agency.
When studying the industry, it is important to consider the "agency" of media workers since it is the basis for the content that gets created. The large problem is that the media is a for-profit industry, comprised of individuals always searching for the next "big hit" that could make millions. Because of this I think that a lot of times the agency of media workers becomes limited. Though they like to believe they have the freedom to create whatever they want, I think that they often become trapped and feel the need to conform to what is dominant, in order to make profit. tThis relates to the idea of circumscribed agency which debates if we truly have freedom, or if we can't help but shape our thinking around the outside forces that surround us. It is critical to understand these factors when studying the industry because we must understand what drives the content that we so eagerly consume.
There is a definite lack of agency among many media workers, and this lack is why it is important to regard media workers agency. The lack of agency is due to the fact that the industry is motivated by money. Everything that is produced and put into the market must be able to turn a profit and make the most possible revenue. Because of this, many creative and new ideas don't get created because media workers would rather be cautious, stick with the norm and go with projects that they know works and will be profitable. Media workers are very much controlled by the environment that they work and these workers who are working in a seemingly creative industry are completely controlled by ideas that will make the most money rather than pushing the boundaries.
Agency, or autonomy, gives media workers reasons for developing the content that is released that would most benefit the general audience and the agency. I agree with Melinda about the lack of agency could cause lack of individuality in content, however it is understandable that the ideologies of a single person may not be an ideology that the agency wants to show the world. On the other hand, some companies consider releasing new, individual concepts in hopes of developing popularity with that content. The people in the agencies who have to consider the risk of releasing the content consider the supply and demand of the economy by going off of the industrialization of cultural framework to decide what would be favored by the public. In conclusion, it’s important to consider media workers agency in order to realize the motives of the workers’ content.
It is important to think about the agency (or lack of) of media workers when studying the industry because the company they work for can have a large influence on how much agency they really have in their work. The values of the individual media workers may not always be in line with the values of the corporation they work for. While the workers may have a variety of desires when creating content—to make something creative/unique, to make something that exposes and injustice, etc.—the corporation will most likely be primarily concerned with making money. Due to this, the agency of the workers will be limited to some degree because their goals may not line up with the company’s goal of making money. Ultimately, the audience is going to see not exclusively what the media workers produced, but what they produced under the influence and limitations of the company.
It is essential to study the agency of media workers in different industries for a number of reasons. For one, media workers, like all other people, are influenced by their daily interaction with the media. Therefore, they are shaped by what they witness and experience. They bring their different values and ideas (that are shaped by their experiences) to the workplace and create a text that is then produced and fed to a range of audiences. In response, these different audiences are also shaped by the media that they see. Therefore, one can concluded that media workers have the ability to culturally shape audiences. Another reason why it is important to study the agency of media workers is because sometimes, different corporations allow for no unique agency. They might have one core message that they want to send to audiences and that message can not be influenced by others' ideas and values. Therefore, there is a lack of agency and a lack of individuality in some corporations' productions.
It is important to consider agency when studying the industry because it provides background and information about what direction the industry may be heading in next. By understanding agency and how much is being exerted versus how much is controlled we can understand how the media industry works and when it allows for the most agency to be exerted. The best example in this case is the movie The Interview. When studying agency it is assumed advertisers and production companies have the most agency, in this case Sony. Yet Sony allowed both James Franco and Seth Rogen to produce a movie about assassinating the leader of North Korea, clearly Sony gave the two friends plenty of agency in the creation of their film. It can be assumed from this situation that trusted individuals with fame can sometimes have more agency then the company that owns them. If two nobodies asked Sony to make the same film they most likely would have said no. This same theory can be used on various types of media to gain an understanding of who is really in control. In some cases it is the production company and other times it is the famous stars trying to gain involvement in multiple areas of the industry. It might not be long till the famous Seth Rogen and James Franco jump on board the music industry. The amount of agency they have is directly related to the money in their pockets. By studying agency it allows us to see who is behind the entertainment we digest on a daily basis and what they want us to absorb from it.
It's important to understand media workers' agency when studying the industry because it helps us better understand the way that the system works, in addition to explaining who gains authority of the product we are being presented.
I've been reading the Steve Jobs biography, and it just got past the section about his involvement with Pixar Studios. The chapter discussed the making of Toy Story, the company's first feature film. Even though it was created by Pixar, Disney and Jeffrey Katzenberg (who later went onto start Dreamworks) had a great majority of ownership over the project. Although they were all "agency", Disney's staff ended up having the majority agency over the final product (for awhile) even though the script, concept, characters, etc. were created by the Pixar staff.
It's important to understand the concept of agency because, at the end of the day, it's important to know where the work that we're being presented comes from, and how exactly it's being produced.
A media worker's agency is vital to what gets created and put into the world. While it may be noble for a media worker to have the agency to create what they believe to be important work, they don't always have that luxury. The business is give and take, push and pull, supply and demand. One must create what is needed, even if it's not what they want. Their agency allows them to explore that space and see what they can create, however, there is also other factors that limit, encourage, or urge media workers and impact their work. Therefore, it is important to know that while they are creating, they are not free agents.
It's important to consider agency because it calls for the content that will be created, based on various points of view, beliefs, impact or popularity. The creative content of different styles and purpose are all very different yet the same for the reason of making a profit. Profit is what ultimately drives the entertainment industry and the content that creates the profit is important to study because we can see the trends of popularity through different mediums and especially through different age, race or economic social groups.
It is important to consider media workers’ agency because media workers have so much agency both of visibly and invisibly and we have to consider about the media industries’ characteristics about limit of ideologies that some particular thoughts are influenced. Public ideologies are influenced by media, which is produced by workers of media industries, although the ideologies of workers of media industries, most of whom are high-status and are in specific similar position, are shaped particularly and limitedly. Thus, the workers have to include broad range of ideological positions as possible to let public accept the products and to impact the public. Moreover, it is also because there is restriction of individuality and creativity because convention such as genre makes the workers of media industries narrow talents, cultures and ideologies by avoiding risk and issues, which the workers are worried, because of the effect to the society such as political incidents by the media.
I disagree with everyone. There is no such thing as agency in media workers. No one can ever have fully autonomy. After all this is a business we are talking about. We are just little bits of a larger cultural machine. Our ideologies become convergent with our culture. We are like little pieces that fit nicely in the elaborate industrialization of culture framework. While at times the “culture” can change it usually only does so in slight variations. While workers sometimes like to convince themselves they have artistic and creative freedom they are in reality victims to the business of media where the ultimate force driving everyone is making monaayyyyy! woot woot! after all don’t we all need to eat? and who would decline 100,000 bucks to have their characters walk around sipping starbucks all day? Of course you say what about the artist who is so divergent and cool like the trendy star Shailene Woodley in that hip original movie divergent? So inspirational and morally superior, sticking to their ethical grounds despite the masses! Go artisit go! until you run out of your last top ramen so you waltz over to Disney and make Hannah Montanna and it’s a smash hit, the bucks start flowing in and suddenly you think to yourself this is the life hold on tight this is the dream its all I need! You realize that you had no idea what you were thinking with your past set of righteous morals and individuality the one true god is success! I am free! Money! Its so funny how similar I think to everyone who works here at Dinsey! I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before ☺ - Kerri Anderson
It is important to study agency vs. structure within the media industry because it has a powerful effect on the way it works, common to many other industries. I agree with Kerri’s point that people within the media industry never reach full autonomy. As the book explains to us, people within the media industry are constantly dealing with the Industrialization of Culture Framework, where the players in these industries are juggling social trends, mandates, conditions, practices, texts, and the public. All within the broader influences of the culture. With all these moving counterparts, it is theoretically impossible for someone to achieve full autonomy.
However, I would argue that the media industries within the United States, including Hollywood, have a much larger degree of autonomy compared to other countries around the world. Even though money has the final say, the material that we are allowed to say and let be scene is far more mature in its themes than many counterparts. It could be seen as having practically full autonomy from people in different countries.
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