Industry and Audience Power Essay

Exam Question:

“The internet has given audiences much more power than ever before.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

It is an unquestionable fact that the internet has given the audience an extreme amount of power than ever before due to the fact that it is so easy to access and there are so many different platforms that you can use on the internet. The internet has put the consumer in quite a powerful position as now they are able to put out their own thoughts, opinions and the things they have seen onto social media for the rest of the public to see freely though this can be seen as both negative and positive. The internet now plays an integral part of our everyday lives and life without it may seem impossible to some. The amount of power that the audience has now is more than what could ever have been imagined before the internet was invented.

Ever since the rise of the internet there have been more chances for the audience to become more involved with the music industry and let yourself be heard. Previously, getting yourself a deal with a music company or even getting in contact with them would have been much harder than it is now and so just about anyone can become famous via apps/websites such as YouTube. At the time, to those of the current older generation, something like this would almost sound impossible as such a feat would seem as too much of a dream. Another change that has occurred due to the internet is that we can now download things like music and videos digitally. This has made it easier for the audience to access files/important documents quicker and more efficiently. Additionally, we are now able to stream music via apps like Spotify and Apple Music, 2 very well known streaming apps. 

Some advantages of these changes are that the audience now has easy access to things uploaded by the music industry which leads to artists becoming more popular and therefore gaining more fans. Another advantage is that audiences are able to re-share their favourite artists music in order for it to gain more publicity along with the artists themselves. Not only that but the fans and artists are able to connect due to the number of social media platforms such as Twitter. In addition it is cheaper for the audiences to listen to artists music due to free apps like YouTube which offers a lot of music that audiences have free access to. Finally, audiences are able to listen to their favourite artists from all around the world. This means that artists such as BTS who are based in Korea are able to share their music to places such as the UK. Another advantage to add is that 'bedroom bands' are able to make more money due to apps such as Spotify where audiences pay for the music. This can help those bands to become bigger and better in order for them to become more known by audiences.

With the many advantages there ought to be a few disadvantages as well, one of the disadvantages that the internet has brought to music industries are illegal downloads. Due to audiences not wanting to pay for artists music they resort to illegally downloading artist's music meaning that the number of views/listens that the artist actually gets aren't all counted. This also leads to another disadvantage which is that artists can't make money and this is due to the fact that audiences aren't willing to pay for music and are instead downloading them illegally. This is part of the reason why some artists have had to leave the music industry as they have failed to make enough money to allow them to keep making music. Also, by audiences having so much content available to them the chances of them choosing any content is going to be even harder for them and so they may not even end up choosing any of them. Another possibility is that they may not be able to find artist's content due to the fact that there is so much content available. 

Like the music industry, the film and television industries have been hugely disrupted by the internet both positively and negatively. Prior to the breakthrough of the internet TV's where one of the most common objects that you would find in a household. Families would usually gather together in order to watch shows of their choice which leads on to one of the changes that the internet has made to this. Instead of watching TV together as a family, people are more likely to be watching their shows on their phone/tablet. Such small devices are able to show exactly the same thing on TV and maybe even in better quality and so it's no question as to why they're so popular. Another way in which the internet has affected the film and TV industry is that audiences are now able to watch films earlier than the release date in their country due to it being released earlier worldwide. Audiences from those countries are then able to upload the film and so people from other countries where the film has not been released can view it for free. Previously, you would have had to either wait for it to release and view it at the cinema or wait for it to be available on DVD. Also, you are now able to binge-watch any series you want anywhere and at anytime that is most convenient for you. Finally, you are able to stream and download films/shows on your devices easily.

One of the advantages of this is that audiences have access to more content that is created by producers therefore giving them more options and content that they are more likely to enjoy. Before, you weren't really spoilt for choice but now there's so many different films and TV shows that there ought to be at least a few that you would enjoy. Another advantage is that you can watch films when and where you like due to it being available on phones which are small and can be carried practically anywhere. Additionally, you can binge-watch series that you really want to finish and you don't need to wait every week for it to come out, you can instead just watch it all in one go. Also, industries are able to access audiences all over the world which leads to them getting even more money from those audiences. Furthermore, audiences can watch content from around the world easily thanks to the internet. For example if a show was created and produced in Japan someone in the UK would be able to access it even with English subtitles. Finally, the quality of TV dramas are now so much better than they once were in terms of the camera quality and the actual plot/content itself.

One of the disadvantages of this is that some audiences will illegally download films which will end up hurting industries due to the fact that no one is actually paying to view them. This could prevent them from making any sequels as they won't have enough funds to create one. They may have to resort to using synergy in order to get money to be able to continue it. Another disadvantage is that it will become harder for film studies to make money thanks to the lack of money within the industry. This will hugely impact the lives of those who wish/ed to go into the film and TV industry. What's more is that due to the fact that there are so many films and TV shows there are a lot of similar films which are sometimes really just replicas and a lot of sequels. Both of which ruin the origin/al of the film/TV show. Also, a lot of film now lack creativity and originality which is part of the reason why new films don't gain that much publicity. This isn't surprising as most of the plots that you would think of for a film/TV series most likely already exist. The final disadvantage is that a lot of content is old or repeated and so we're never really getting anything new.

Ever since the rise of the internet the number of people actually willing to pay for the news has staggeringly decreased over time mainly due to the fact that you are able to access the news on your mobile devices for free. Audiences don't really like having to pay for content and so if they are able to get it for free they're most likely going to go for that option. One of those options are live streaming which is actual members of the audience are at say the scene of an active crime/explosion they then record things as it happens and upload it onto social media. By uploading it on social media the audiences are automatically being given information at the time and place where the incident is taking place quickly and in real time. The news may not be able to share as accurate information due to the fact that they weren't at the place and people that they ask may be exaggerating. Another change that has occurred in the News thanks to the internet is that citizens are now able to become journalists themselves easily just by being able to give information about an event or recording it. Becoming a journalist has never been easier than it is now trusted news industries are able to verify and actually look at what the audience has put up and confirm whether or not it's true or false. Yet another change that has occurred in the News is that newspaper sales have fallen, this is due to the fact that a very small number of people would want to go outside and pay for a newspaper when we can access them for free quickly on phones/tablets which is much more efficient. The fact that audiences can now gain access to the news instantly is part of the reason why they don't find it necessary to purchase newspapers. This is a huge contrast from what it used to be like as Newspaper sales were previously very high. My final change that has occurred to the news industry due to the internet is that some news articles now use clickbait in order to get more views and fool the audience. This is one of the most disliked ways of getting views as it ends up making audiences feeling tricked by industries and ruining the relationship between them. 

One of the advantages of this is that audiences are able to access the news faster than ever before in just a few clicks. This is a huge advancement from before as now if we need to find out something important as it is happening we can do so instantly. Another advantage of this is that the internet just makes it so much more convenient and easy to access. Those who may not have the time to pick up/buy a newspaper are now able to stay updated via their mobile devices. Yet another advantage of the internet for the news industry is that audiences are now able to see news live, see pictures/videos of major events and listen to eyewitnesses who've actually seen those events take place. My final advantage of this is that audiences are given access to free news. This is helpful as those who are not willing to pay for the news but still want to stay updated with what has been going on can do so freely.

One of the disadvantages of this is that audiences don't really know who they can trust. This is due to the fact that many people may not be stating the facts and may in fact be exaggerating or straight out lying. Audiences can easily be swayed simply by the addition of a blue tick to one's name on Twitter but who is to approve of Twitter themselves. By not knowing who we can really trust, we don't know if we are truly getting authentic information. Another disadvantage of this is that the quality of the news has dropped significantly, this is partially due to the fact that most of the news that we read is free and free things aren't usually the best of quality. Along with this, viral news is now chosen by audiences rather journalists. This is due to the amount of power that audiences have, depending on how much the news is spread by audiences will decide on whether it becomes viral or not. This means that even if audiences started to spread around something that isn't of much significance it will still become viral. At the same time this means that important news may not be shared by audiences due to the fact that it doesn't interest meaning that it doesn't become viral and so some may not even be aware of it. Finally, my last disadvantage of this is that journalists are more likely to lose their jobs and companies are more prone to go out of business. This is a result of the fact that audiences are no longer paying for the news which means that those in the news industry aren't receiving as much income as they were before.

For these reasons, I believe that it is an unquestionable fact that the internet has given the audience an extreme amount of power than ever before. This is due to the significant negative and positive changes it has had on the music, news and film & TV industries. The amount of things that have altered thanks to the internet are undeniable and play a huge part in the life that we live now. The internet has left and will continue to leave a lasting effect on audiences for a very long time. Although the internet can be misused by the wrong people such as asking for ransoms from/blackmailing companies it can also be used as a learning tool and a way to communicate with family/friends that may be far away.