Capitalism In Mass Media Essay Research Paper

Capitalism In Mass Media Essay, Research Paper

Capitalism in mass media – E.W.

“Media are special because of the uniqueness of the product the business deals in. The commodity the media business sells is our most precious: news, opinion and ideas.”

(Chadwick 1989:221)

Capitalism and its values are nurtured within the mass media. Popular American films have carefully targeted particular markets to sell the idea of a successful capitalist system. Competition, progression (, technology) and economic rationalism are some of the components that become visible when critically analysing these films. These themes often go unnoticed when there is an emotional narrative to carry the plot, and they appear as a natural aspect of the narrative when they surface. In my analysis, I will be discussing capitalist values and the role of democracy in the media.

The film “You’ve Got Mail” uses themes such as technology and competition in conjunction with romance, naturalising some of capitalism’s values into the character’s lifestyle. The use of the Internet and competing businesses combine to create the story between the main characters. They have two relationships: their anonymous romantic Internet relationship and as rival business owners. As the outcome is reached, we understand that competition and technology are not important to the relationship, when the two meet. It is the emotions (such as love) that overcome any capitalist values that may have affected what was in each characters best interest. In this case, the attention is drawn away from the business aspect of the relationship as if it were the focus; capitalism would be portrayed in a negative light.

The film is aimed at 20-35 yr old females, using unrealistic visions of a compassionate world, where financial profit does not conquer all. The narrative of the developing relationship between the main characters is the focus of the film. The genre “romantic comedy”, would more likely appeal to women, as romantic love is usually marketed to young women early in the mass media. (Through other mediums such as magazines and television.) The use of the Internet and e-mail as a form of correspondence, are fairly recent developments (in comparison to the love story), therefore the film would also appeal to those with an interest in technology.

This film could not connect with, nor appeal to a large audience, as the film’s plot and characters lack depth beyond the standard ‘Hollywood’ mould. “The media’s bland diet of superficial material does not encourage participation in the political process, but rather depoliticises the audience”. (Beder 1997:241) Although the film’s storyline may be numbing and the characters tedious, it can be understood why the audience may wish to identify with them, as the characters live quite comfortably (materially speaking), blind to their actions (as a result of ‘fate’). This brings forward the opportunity to look into the commercial products that could be identified as a natural part of the world these characters live in.

The most obvious commercial product in the film is the computer. Within the computer, there is the brand of computer, the operating system used and the Internet provider. These are frequently screened throughout the film and symbolise a positive form of communication. The computer has no negative traits in this film. The package used in the film (Apple Laptop, Macintosh operating system and America On Line or AOL) is integral to symbolising the value system within the film. That is, tradition (of the love story) in harmony with technology. The phrase “You’ve Got Mail” symbolises anticipation and hope for both characters which supports the optimistic attitude of the film. It is this attitude that makes the film appealing to the audience, as there is an unwillingness to deal with the financial circumstances of the situation. For example, when one character loses her business, her future income is not an issue. This lack of real-life capitalist consequences makes this film, nothing more than a fantasy.

The film supports capitalist values, yet does not deal with the consequences that a capitalist system brings. There are aspects of the film that do portray the big business company as negative, winning over the public with money, yet this is forgotten by the end of the film, as the focus turns to the emotional relationship. The small business closes, as the bigger company takes over the market. “Capitalism has no loyalty to anything but its own process of capital accumulation, no loyalty to anything but itself.” (Parenti, 1986:2) This is expressed in the film, as it is ‘natural’ that the larger company puts the small company out of business. This cannot be challenged, but is a part of capitalism. Parenti describes capitalism’s purpose as seen in the film, (beneath the love story) as not to “build communities, for capitalists will build and destroy communities as investment opportunities dictate. Nor is capitalism dedicated to protecting the family or traditional life ” (1986:1) Although, as Parenti describes it, the community is divided and the traditional business is forced to close, it appears as a natural occurrence.

To watch simply one Popular American film, you have also watched several others. The formula the media uses is the same, dictating our ideas and what we should expect from life. The narrative is used t