Conglomeration and Binary Models

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          In class, we have been studying Binary Models and Conglomeration over the past few days. The information was delivered to us through an engaging lecture given to us by Mr. Miller. I'm usually not big on lectures, but for the first time, I felt like I was really learning. Mr. Miller does an excellent job at making you feel like he's talking directly to you, and he pushes you to think beyond what you knew you were capable of. Through this lesson, I learned lot's of information that I am now able to explain myself.

              News sources today are separated into Binary Models that specify the type of media and the person delivering the media. Some forms, also known as hot medium, require your undivided attention. Reading a book falls under this category because you cannot understand it if you are doing something else while you read it. Cool mediums, like listening to music, do not require your full attention and are the preferred medium. I think this is because people today rarely pause to focus on one thing and are almost always distracted by the entertainment forms of media they find on cell phones, televisions, and computers. As growing technology and popular social media is constantly changing, the populists have to give the people what they want in order to keep up and continue making money. If people are given the choice, they will most often choose to be entertained instead of informed, although it may not be best for them. If you are given the choice between a cupcake and spinach, a cupcake is the obvious choice because it makes you happier at the moment.

        The last binary model we talked about was content and distribution. I was really surprised to learn that most companies used to be one or the other and now majority of companies, like Time Warner, are combining. This seems to be much more efficient and a lot faster. Another way companies are increasing efficiency is through conglomeration. This is when one corporation is in charge of many corporations. They can make money through advertising, subscriptions and circulation along with audience donations, government support and philanthropy. I believe that conglomeration is a much better option overall then individual companies. Through this system, not as many workers have to be paid, so more money can be spent increasing the quality and taking more profitable risks. On the contrary, corporations that use conglomeration are extremely less diverse. All of the content comes from the same place, so there are fewer opinions being exhibited. This is an issue because people want to be able to relate or agree with a certain side, and if they don't agree with the one opinion being portrayed, a psychological filter will cause them to dislike what they are watching or reading. I have found the topics of Binary Models and Conglomeration very interesting and crucial information for future journalists to have.