OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

CHAPTER 4

OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA
OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA
There are many media organizations in the country that are owned and controlled by a
wide variety of entities including corporate bodies, societies and trusts, and individuals.
Information about such organizations and people is scattered, incomplete, and dated, thereby
making it rather difficult to collate such information leave alone analyze it. Nevertheless, a few
salient aspects about media ownership stand out from the inadequate information that is
available.

➢ The sheer number of media organizations and outlets often conceals the fact there is
dominance over specific markets and market segments by a few players – in other
words, the markets are often oligopolistic in character.
➢ The absence of restrictions on cross-media ownership implies that particular companies
or groups or conglomerates dominate markets both vertically (that is, across different
media such as print, radio, television and the internet) as well as horizontally (namely, in
particular geographical regions).
➢ Political parties and persons with political affiliation own/control increasing sections of
the media in India.
➢ The promoters and controllers of media groups have traditionally held interests in many
other business interests and continue to do so, often using their media outlets to
further these.
➢ There are a few instances of promoters who have used the profits from their media
operations to diversify into other (unrelated) businesses.
➢ The growing corporatization of the Indian media is manifest in the manner in which
large industrial conglomerates are acquiring direct and indirect interest in media groups.
➢ There is also a growing convergence between creators/producers of media content and
those who distribute/disseminate the content.

SOCIAL MEDIA THREATS

➢ Social engineering:
Today, 'social engineering' is one of the most prevalent social media threats and
also the most popular tactic for cyber criminals. Social media platforms allow attackers
to find personal information that can be used to target specific individuals. Using
information from employee profiles, a plausible fake account can be created to establish
trust over time. Once the trust is built, the attacker might start asking for specific
information, like internal server names, project names, or even have the new friend

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 1

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

open an infected document or visit a prepared website that will drop a backdoor onto
their computer.
➢ Targeted phishing attacks:
Such attacks are carried out to steal money or confidential information, as was
the case with the Hydraq attacks in early 2010 that compromised critical information of
several multinational companies. This social media threat is an example of social
engineering tactics, whereby attackers exploit fear and anxiety, instead of system
vulnerability to get users to part with their money. Since these attacks are so specific
and targeted, the chances of success are higher.
➢ Fake accounts:
In July 2010, a fake profile named Robin Sage was actively pushed to request
connections to random people, which most people accepted without knowing who the
fictitious woman was. The seriousness of such social media threats gets underscored
when one considers that the fake account in this case, was successful in connecting with
hundreds of people from various organizations, including military, government, and
security firms.
➢ Celebrity name misuse:
This is one of the popular social media threats of today. There have been several
incidents of hackers registering a new account under the name of a celebrity. Such a
fake account can be used to spread misinformation and rumors or to attract new
followers that can later be spammed. The gravity of these threats lies in the fact that
hackers can use social media to extract users' personal information and misuse it. There
is generally no real authentication process that links a virtual profile to a real life
identity. Hence, authentication of identification is important to protect against these
social media threats.
➢ Site compromise:
In this social media threat, if an attacker compromises a social networking site
with malicious code, any visitor to the site would be susceptible to attack. Hackers have
also found ways to insert malicious code into advertisements and create rogue third-
party applications, which lure users and ultimately compromise their computers or
gather their personal information.
➢ Social media used for spreading spam and malware:
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are often used to spread
malware. The growing popularity of shortened URLs is also giving rise to several social
media threats. Cyber criminals often mask their links with a short URL making it difficult
for the user to identify whether it is pointing to a legitimate or malicious site. This threat
is a real possibility for social bookmarking and micro blogging sites, which are used to
spread links and news in a very short span of time.
➢ Confidential information leak:
The scariest of social media threats is where employees start revealing seemingly
uncritical technical information to the public. This could be a Twitter comment stating

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 2

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

that the user is fed up configuring a particular firewall product at work or a status
message indicating that the user finally found a way around a Web proxy product being
used, and is now able to post to his profile again. An attacker could use this information
to identify the security software of the user or the company.
➢ Mitigating risks associated with social media:
HR can create policies around social media as part of acceptable usage and
provide training on what information can and can't be disclosed. This is essential for
employees to safely use these sites for both business and personal purposes, but HR
can't do this alone. It's crucial for HR and IT to work together to provide staff with the
appropriate knowledge on the risks and on the privacy settings on social media sites. HR
with it can also educate on other topics, such as the risks of phishing that come in the
form of embedded links in Facebook posts or tweets, it's not just email! Regular policy
updates are needed to keep up with the evolution of threats and regular training for
employees on these changes must be conducted, as well as enforcing consequences for
inappropriate use.
➢ Technology:
The backup plan - Training and policies can only go so far. Organizations must
also use technology to enforce policy and prevent any data loss that could occur despite
the best efforts of employees. Technology provides the last line of defense, removing
hidden metadata and any other critical information which would break policy.
➢ Traditional data loss
Products "stop and block" communication, creating more work for IT and
employees, often resulting in their being switched off. Next generation products provide
adaptive solutions that do not hinder workflow, enabling secure continuous
communication and collaboration.
➢ The moral of the story
Organizations that have taken the route of banning social tools have found
employees will go behind its back to access these tools, putting the organization at
greater risk. By providing appropriate polices, education and reinforcing with the right
technology, organizations can allow their employees to take advantage of social media
without putting their business at risk. The key to this one-two punch is the collaboration
between HR and IT.

PRESSURES THAT THE MEDIA HAS TO FACE.

Types of pressures media gets to face:

To discuss the pressures in detail, we first have to see how many kinds of pressures the
media has to face. There are mainly four types of pressures that the media faces:

1. Government pressures

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 3

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

2. Religious pressures

3. Political parties' pressures

4. Corporate pressures

➢ GOVERNMENT PRESSURES:
Governments all over the world: Governments all across the world pressurize the
media and journalists. The tactics may be different - some harsh, some extremely terrifying -
but the thing that remains constant is pressure.

➢ RELIGIOUS PRESSURES
A global phenomenon: Religious parties across the world exert pressures on the media.
Various political organizations and even religious organizations that have gone on to surround
the offices of the media houses and get from them whatever they wanted. Some resort to
direct action and attack the offices as well while others tend to stay behind, doing the same in
some other way.

➢ POLITICAL PARTIES' PRESSURE:

Political parties often pressurize the media through various means. While the acts of the
governments in power may also be considered as the acts of the political parties in power but
since they have already been discussed under the government pressures, we may only discuss
the pressure exerted by political parties on media while they were either not in power or
exerted the pressure as a political party, not as a government.

➢ CORPORATE PRESSURE
Corporate sector is a major source of earning for the news channels. It is impossible to
run a newspaper with the help of money earned through the cost of the newspaper and it is not
easy at all to run it with the help of classified ads as well. In the modern times of social media, it
has become even more difficult to compete with the growing market.

In such a situation, corporate sector is certainly one of the most powerful sources of
earning for all the newspapers as well as TV channels.

MEDIA REGULATION (CENSORSHIP)

Media regulation is the control or guidance of mass media by governments and other
bodies. The principal targets of media regulation are the press, radio and television, but may
also include film, recorded music, cable, satellite, storage and distribution technology (discs,
tapes etc.), the internet, mobile phones etc.

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 4

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

List of Pros of Media regulation

➢ It helps save the children from violence.
Censoring extreme violent material is beneficial, particularly among children.
With the access to all sorts of media made easier these days, younger generations can
easily fall prey to this sort of content. Thus, censorship would allow them to use the web
or watch TV without worrying about their minds being corrupted.
➢ It limits harmful advertisements.
It is understandable that product or service advertisements that are harmful to a
person's health are to be censored or, rather, limited. This will help prevent epidemics,
such as alcohol addiction and obesity, which are increasingly becoming a concern for the
population.
➢ It helps protect personal security.
Sometimes, the First Amendment or Freedom of Speech threatens a person's or
a place's security because of the fine details the media may provide. As information is,
somehow, limited with media censorship, threats can be lessened and people are
informed of things when they should be. This means chaos and panic would not ensue.
➢ Protection of secrets
Another interesting argument regarding this matter is protection of secrets.
Ignorance is bliss is certainly true here, considering that it is in the best interest of a
country that its strategies are kept confidential. Sometimes, we just need to trust our
government blindly.
➢ It helps control hate
By controlling the media, the government can also control prejudice, racism and
untrue slandering of certain individuals, which might involve races, religions, companies
and other countries.
➢ It necessitates regulation.
Many proponents of internet censorship think that it allows for regulation of
mass media, which is important to authority. Some even feel that not implementing
regulations could have very detrimental effect on the society at certain levels. Some of
the benefits of internet regulation to society are lessening the spread of drug, cartels
and keeping the exploitation of children to a minimum.
Internet censorship is seen as a form of control, and all other forms of mass
media, including TV and radio, have specific administrative controls and regulations in
place, which means that the web should be no different. It is important to note that
regulations can lead to more order, which is the ultimate goal of internet censorship.
➢ Aids in the Controlling of Undesirable Content
A censored media will lead to controlling the kind of content being shown on
television or being circulated on the internet. Radio stations and print media will also fall
within the ambit of media censorship. There have been many instances when the media
has unabashedly broadcast violent material. With adequate or appropriate media

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 5

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

censorship, kids can be shielded from graphic and violent content. Without any checks
and balances, the media can have a free run. Given the fact that media conglomerates
are revenue driven and they spin or present news in a way that garners more attention,
it is often seen that news channels and even print media focus more on violent
contents.
➢ Not Confined to Just Electronic Media
Media censorship is not confined to electronic media such as news channels and
social media sites or traditional mediums like print and radio. It includes the internet.
Media censorship can curb the menace of porn or sexually explicit content that is widely
available on the galactic network. While parental control and discretion is the most
widely accepted and recommended practice, many parents believe that media
censorship will be better for their kids to remain insulated from sexual content.
➢ Can Control the Natures of Advertisements
Media censorship can control the kind of products or services being promoted
and the nature of the advertisements. Many ads on television, print and online are
harmful for kids as well as for adults. From fake products to tall claims, people are
misled into believing what is evidently not true.
➢ Improve Security and the Protection of Sensitive Information
Media censorship can ensure better security for private individuals of the
country and can also protect sensitive information, including secrets. There have been
cases where an independent media has not initiated deferred live broadcasts, which is
necessary during terror attacks or emergency situations. Independent media has often
given out sensitive information, leaked state secrets and has perhaps put innocent lives
in jeopardy. Media has also been accused of causing panic and unrests when there was
no reason for the same. Media censorship can avert all these untoward consequences.
➢ Can Influence Opinion
Media plays a role in influencing public opinion and thus it can contribute or
worsen public life, law and order. There have been instances when the opinionating
media has induced hate, feelings of insecurity and threat to life.
➢ Keeps Facts Straightened
An independent media is expected to regulate itself and should adhere to the
standards set by its own bodies, typically congregation of broadcasting agencies and
guilds of editors and journalists. The self regulation doesn't always work. Media is often
biased and doesn't present facts all the time. This calls for media censorship

List of Cons of Media regulation

➢ It keeps the ignorant, ignorant.
If the government is put in control of what people are allowed to tune into, there
is the tendency that things, which can expose corruption within the system, could not
be viewed. This is an exploitable way to damage the people of a country.

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 6

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

➢ It violates the First Amendment.

Freedom of speech and press is implemented for a reason—it is what the US was
formed around. And, putting into effect an excessive amount of media censorship can
infringe on this on this basic right of the people. Also, censorship is believed to negate
the First Amendment. What would be the point of your right to speak when there is
nobody listening to what you are talking about? The very concept of censorship is
believed to clash with the idea of democracy. By covering the ears of listeners, then
democracy and dictatorship would be no different.
➢ It encourages ulterior motives.
As previously stated, placing the government in charge of what can be shown on
the media can be risky. Considering that many politicians might be aligned with brands
or companies, they may only allow these affiliates to advertise. They may also not allow
anything negative to come out about these brands, no matter how true it is.
➢ It hinders sex education and awareness.
Though taboo, sex and other delicate matters should still be dealt with maturity.
Sex education and awareness of AIDS and STDs need to be spread in many countries,
and it is unwise to brush these pressing topics under the carpet as taboo. The question
here is what to show or no
➢ It violates website owners' legal rights to make their information accessible.
Some owners of websites that are censored would possibly sue the government
for keeping their online information from being accessible to their target audience.
Though not a common situation, but it is a possibility among site owners if their content
is being strictly regulated. This shows that regulations can be unnecessary and unlawful.
➢ Violates Freedom of Expression
It is debatable as to what one can say or cause by what one says in the name of
freedom of expression. But muzzling the voice of people is certainly not in adherence to
the constitutional provisions.
➢ Lead to Banning the Broadcast
Media censorship may lead to banning the broadcast of certain kinds of news
and may keep the citizens uninformed. The ignorant would remain ignorant with a
censored media. Authorities cannot decide what news or information the people must
and must not get.
➢ Can Leads to Government Funded and Controlled Broadcast
In such a scenario, the media may be compelled to toe the government's line. In
effect, everything you see, read or hear will be through apparent mouthpieces of the
government. There may be no space for anti-government or anti establishment voices.
Protest may be curbed. There may not be any room for protest. This may sound
alarming but sowing the seeds of media censorship can eventually land up absolute
power in the laps of one agency or one individual.
➢ Further Insulates Society and Makes People Indifferent

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 7

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

This will lead to less awareness; more biases and the societal and cultural values
at large may be put in jeopardy. Politicians or regulating authorities may favour some
brands companies over others, they may propagate certain ideologies over others,
religious and cultural intolerance may be facilitated and it is possible that one individual
or authority will use the entire media to his or her whims and fancies.

SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS YOUR HEALTH

There are a number of ways that social media can have an influence on your health.

➢ Addiction to social media.

People who are addicted to social media may experience negative side effects such as
eye strain, social withdrawal or lack of sleep. Social media addiction is a real phenomenon. As
more people carry around smart phones and other devices wherever they go, it becomes
harder to escape the internet. And people increasingly spend their online time on social media
sites such as Face book, Twitter and Instagram.

For people who are addicted to these sites, it can have a harmful effect on their lives
and even their health. Any addiction is potentially harmful if it saps your energy away from
other activities, such as work, physical activity and offline relationships. There are various ways
that social media addiction harms your mental health.

➢ Stress.
If you spend your time researching problems or arguing with people, you may
experience stress, which can have a negative impact on your health.
➢ Emotional connections.
Social media can help you connect with more people and stay in touch with those with
whom you're already close. Connecting with people has proven health benefits. People use
social media for many things, such as socializing, finding and sharing information, shopping and
simply as a diversion. Some of these activities are fairly neutral while others may cause strong
emotions.

Positive connections with people are important for your mental and even physical
health. There’s plenty of evidence that social isolation is associated with a shorter life span, not
to mention a diminished quality of life. While interacting with people on social media is not
enough, and not a substitute for live interactions, it can be beneficial nonetheless.

➢ Information.
You can find a large amount of health-related information on social media. This
can be quite helpful. On the other hand, if you take random advice without doing proper
research, it can also be harmful. As these points illustrate, there's no simple answer to

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 8

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

whether social media is good or bad for you. Because it's such a pervasive influence on
modern life, it has many positive and negative effects

IMPACT ON PHYSICAL HEALTH

Social media can directly impact physical health. This is usually associated with the way
you use it. For example:

➢ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

If you do too much keying, you may experience problems that affect your hands or
wrists. There are also specific problems associated with keying on mobile phones, which can
strain the tendons of your fingers. These problems aren’t all caused by social media. It can just
as easily be caused by having to type term papers for school or reports at work.

➢ Eye problems.
You can get eyestrain from staring at screens for too long.

➢ Fatigue.
This is another symptom of overusing social media. If you're staying up too late posting
on Twitter of Face book, you may be losing valuable sleep.

➢ Lack of exercise.
Social media can cut into time you might otherwise be spending outdoors or
exercising.
➢ Distraction.
One of the most dangerous potential consequences of social media addiction is
driving while being distracted. As recent stories have confirmed, you can even get hurt
texting and walking.

IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH

➢ It's addictive:
Experts have not been in total agreement on whether internet addiction is a real
thing, let alone social media addiction, but there's some good evidence that both may
exist. A review study from Nottingham Trent University looked back over earlier
research on the psychological characteristics, personality and social media use. The
authors conclude that it may be plausible to speak specifically of 'Facebook Addiction
Disorder'... because addiction criteria, such as neglect of personal life, mental
preoccupation, escapism, mood modifying experiences, tolerance and concealing the
addictive behavior, appear to be present in some people who use (social networks]
excessively."

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 9

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

➢ It triggers more sadness, less well-being:

The more we use social media, the less happy we seem to be. One study a few
years ago found that Facebook use was linked to both less moment-to-moment
happiness and less life satisfaction the more people used Facebook in a day, the more
these two variables dropped off. The authors suggest this may have to do with the fact
that Facebook conjures up a perception of social isolation, in a way that other solitary
activities don't. On the surface," the authors write, "Facebook provides an invaluable
resource for fulfilling such needs by allowing people to instantly connect. Rather than
enhancing well-being, as frequent interactions with supportive 'offline' social networks
powerfully do, the current findings demonstrate that interacting with Facebook may
predict the opposite result for young adults—it may undermine it."
➢ Comparing our lives with others is mentally unhealthy:
Part of the reason Facebook makes people feel socially isolated (even though
they may not actually be) is the comparison factor. We fall into the trap of comparing
ourselves to others as we scroll through our feeds, and make judgements about how we
measure up. One study looked at how we make comparisons to others posts, in
"upward" or "downward" directions—that is, feeling that we're either better or worse
off than our friends. It turned out that both types of comparisons made people feel
worse, which is surprising, since in real life, only upward comparisons (feeling another
person has it better than you) makes people feel bad. But in the social network world, it
seems that any kind of comparison is linked to depressive symptoms.
➢ It can lead to jealousy—and a vicious cycle:
It’s no secret that the comparison factor in social media leads to jealousy—most
people will admit that seeing other people’s tropical vacations and perfectly behaved
kids is envy-inducing. Studies have certainly shown that social media use triggers
feelings of jealousy. The authors of one study, looking at jealousy and other negative
feelings while using Facebook, wrote that “This magnitude of envy incidents taking place
on FB alone is astounding, providing evidence that FB offers a breeding ground for
invidious feelings.” They add that it can become a vicious cycle: feeling jealous can make
a person want to make his or her own life look better, and post jealousy inducing posts
of their own, in an endless circle of one-upping and feeling jealous.
➢ We get caught in the delusion of thinking it will help:
Part of the unhealthy cycle is that we keep coming back to social media, even
though it doesn’t make us feel very good. This is probably because of what’s known as a
forecasting error: Like a drug, we think getting a fix will help, but it actually make us feel
worse, which comes down to an error in our ability to predict our own response. One
study looked at how people feel after using Facebook and how they think they’ll feel
going in. Like other studies suggested, the participants in this one almost always felt
worse after using it, compared to people engaging in other activities. But follow-up
experiment showed that people generally believed that they’d feel better after using,

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 10

 OWNERSHIP OF MEDIA

not worse. Which of course turns out not to be the case at all, and sounds a lot like the
pattern in other types of addiction.
➢ More friends on social doesn’t mean you’re more social:
A couple of years ago, a study found that more friends on social media doesn’t
necessarily mean you have a better social life-there seems to be a cap on the number of
friends a person’s brain can handle, and it takes actual social interaction (not virtual) to
keep up these friendships. So feeling like you’re being social by being on Facebook
doesn’t work. Since loneliness is linked to myriad health and mental health problems
(including early death), getting real social support is important. Virtual friend time
doesn’t have the therapeutic effect as time with real friends.

IMPACT ON EMOTIONAL HEALTH

➢ Self-esteem
Supportive online interaction on social media can increase self-esteem, with the
inverse also being true. People with higher self-esteem post more about their work,
family and education. People with lower self-esteem are more concerned about what
other people post about them, and continuously monitor their feeds and delete
unwanted posts.
➢ Happiness
More time on social media is correlated with lower life satisfaction Social media
interaction produces dopamine Using social media to connect in the real world is
positive Overall online networking is negative for individuals
➢ Loneliness and companionship
Young adults report highest levels of perceived loneliness. Higher social media
use correlates with higher levels of perceived loneliness older people are less depressed
and lonely when they're active on social mediA
➢ Empathy
People are influenced by the positivity and negativity in Facebook posts
➢ Lessons to take away
Limit your social media usage Use your online interactions to facilitate real-world
meetings and relationships Post positively be mindful and aware of your online
environments and how they might be affecting you

NAGMA SULTHANA, SDC COLLEGE, KOLAR Page 11