Who's to Decide

Personally, my understanding of the term 'mass media' is wrapped in corporate control. I believe that mass media is any medium that, as the 'big businessman' would have us believe, is popular to the masses at any given moment.

Take the medium of music for example. Who decides what we listen to on the radio, or on T.V., or in movies? It sure as heck is not me. I've never had someone come knocking on my door, asking "Hey Nick, I'm from 555.5 fm, what songs would most want to hear on our station?" So who chooses? Who has the last say, because it sure is not me. What, is my opinion not fit for consideration when choosing popularized music?

To me, mass media is not the media of the masses, but the media of the corporation. It's the media's media. Not chosen by the public for the public, but chosen by the media for the public. I feel that, however influential you believe you are in moulding the media around you, the power of fluctuating media will never be within the grasp of the common man.

In my opinion, 'mass media' is solely a term coined by the media to downplay their control over the content of 'popularized' media.