According to Gauntlett, what was "the media" like in the past and what changes have now occurred?


David Gauntlett suggests that in the past the media was headed by big corporations (he referred to them as media Gods) e.g broadcasting corporations and newspapers. These media Gods fed news, information and entertainment down to the people, and therefore these corporations had all the input and could decide what to expose us to and what to censor effectively.


How far do you agree with Gauntlett?


I would say that I agree with Gauntlett on this issue, as the people had no input in media therefore the population had to completely trust the higher media powers and their stories. However this issue may not be solved by citizen journalism and input of the general population as Gauntlett suggests, because the problem with these citizen sources is they have no credibility unless they have hard evidence e.g recordings.


How might Gauntlett's ideas be applied to the music industry?


David Gauntlett's ideas suggest that the general population can contribute to the news now as they have the equipment, and this revolution can be applied to the music industry as music can also be made by anyone now. No longer is it difficult or expensive to get hold of recording equipment to produce and record music. It is also easy now for anyone to distribute their music. The big labels no longer control what music is put out, as anyone can upload whatever kind of music they want on the internet, which can earn them fans and even a recording contract. Websites such as Myspace and YouTube have been instrumental in helping young musicians find fame in recent years, thanks to the technological advancements brought to us by the internet and web 2.0.