chapter 3

what is a gatekeeper

gatekeepers are people in positions of authority in the mass media, editors, producers, talent scouts etc. they're in charged for example of what song gets played on a radio station, what stories are on the front pg of the newspaper etc.

is gatekeeping censorship?

gatekeepers aren't really censors. they are representatives of the owners of a media outlet.

does the internet strengthen or weaken the role of gatekeepers?

the internet has weakened the role of gatekeeping

what is the long tail theory

the long tail theory states the internet storage and delivery is so cheap that an online company like Netflix can make a big profit from movies that were never box office hits as well as amazon can make big profit from books that were ever near the best seller list

is the mass media more competitive than it was 30 years ago

there are more media outlets for the consumer than ever before however the majority of mass media in the US is controlled through fewer companies

what is synergy?

when different divisions of the media company add to the overall profit of a creative property in their own way

whats an example of a disruptive technology

Netflix and amazon

what is the short head theory

Portion of a distribution curve where a large number of people are interested in buying a limited number of products; a lot of demand and expensive to produce

whats a disruptive technology?

disruptive technology is one that radically weakens the business model of an establishment of business