Political Economy and Future of Internet Broadcasting - Essay Example

Political Economy and the Future of Internet Broadcasting Political Economy and the Future of Internet Broadcasting Introduction Political Economy Political economy is a social science that looks into the interrelationships between individuals, society and the state of the markets. This branch of social science borrows largely from economics, sociology and political science. Political economy is thus an overview of how a nation manages both political and economical aspects. It is simply a science dealing with politics and economics as unified. As such, the key mandate of the concept of political economy analysis is to determine interventions for developments within a given understanding of the prevailing economic, as well as political processes within the society. This is specifically in line with the relationships, distribution, incentives, and contestation of power among different individuals or groups or persons. Undertaking such analytic procedures support politically feasible development strategies as it allows state actors to set up achievable and realistic expectations, within a reasonable timescale (Hardy, 2014). Internet Broadcasting Internet broadcasting refers to an online platform that enables media owners to pass information through the internet to its audience by making use of streaming technologies. As such, internet broadcasting relies heavily on the internet in order to undertake its mandate effectively. For instance, media houses can use the internet platform to broadcast their news to their audiences as long as the targeted audience is able to stream live and watch the news, programs, as well as entertainment and advertisements. A good example of internet broadcasting is the webcast platform, which incorporates presentation of media and distribution through the internet using the streaming media technology. The Future of Internet Broadcasting Internet broadcasting is the new big idea in the market, and as such, stands out as the future of TV and radio broadcasting. It is without a doubt that nowadays more people get their news and entertainment through the internet, which is unlike sometimes back whereby the only way for someone to watch news would have been through either radio or television, and at specified times, such as during Prime Time News. Therefore, in order for one to catch the news of the day, he or she would have to be near a radio or a television and tune on his or her favorite news station in order to follow the news, or watch an interesting program. if in the event such a person is not near these devices, which in most cases were at their homes or places of work, they would have to forfeit news and entertainment for that day. However, internet broadcasting comes in with a superb revolution that enables everyone to catch his or her favorite program, as well as stream news live through the internet. This is all thanks to the growing internet presence across various parts of the world, as the globe slowly becomes a small village owing to the rapid internet connectivity across the world. In fact, people can stream live through their internet enabled Smartphones, and as such, do not need to be anywhere near a television or radio in order to get the news or follow the programs they want. Industry players are also in favor of this new strategy as it enables them to reach out to a wider audience as opposed to normal medial broadcasting through TV and Radio. As such, anyone from any corner of the world can easily watch the news, or programs he or she wants from any media station broadcasting from any part of the world through internet broadcasting. The key advantage that media stakeholders enjoy from using internet broadcasting as a means of reaching their targeted audience is because internet is easily accessible from different devices and applications, unlike with the traditional form of media where they could only broadcast through radio and TV. With internet broadcasting, viewers can follow news, sports and favorite programs aired by their favorite media stations through different devices, such as Smartphones, tablets, laptops, cable TV, as well as desktop computers as long as they have internet connectivity. This makes it easier for the media owners to pass across their news and reach a wider consumer audience as opposed to TV and radio, and consequently higher sales revenues generated through creation of an expansive advertising market (Evens, Losifidis & Smith, 2013). Apart from live streaming of news and programs, the audience can also follow these media practitioners through social media networks such as twitter, Google+, as well as Facebook. This will enable people to get the information fast hand from the broadcasters, or watch it later in case they were busy when their favorite program, sports or news was on air. In addition, this would effectively promote freedom of the media, as well a freedom of information by the viewers, as unlike TV and Radio broadcasting, internet broadcasting has no tough rules and regulations controlling the content that these media owners have to air. Effect of Political Economy on Internet Broadcasting Just like any other platform of media broadcasting, internet broadcasting has to be free from any manipulation or interference from the political structures of its region or country. In most countries, the government controls communication by regulating media broadcasters, as well as checking the content that they present to its viewers before the viewers actually get an opportunity to see it on air. As such, under most circumstances, especially in dictatorial regimes, the government doctors news reports and programs aired by different TV and radio stations operating within the country for its own selfish benefit, such as keeping the people in the dark in order to thwart appraisals or opposition against the government. Such form of control against the media stakeholders limits the freedom of the press, as well as denying the citizens their constitutional rights for information. A good case example is the digital migration wave in TV broadcast media going on in the world today. Many countries have a deadline set for them to migrate to digital platforms of media broadcasting, as this is the new big idea in the broadcasting industry. However, this digital migration requires close cooperation of all the concerned stakeholders with the government in order to facilitate a smooth and seamless digital migration of the entire country. However, some governments are using this as a cover up to cause a media blackout in their countries, as well as enriching corrupt cartels within the government. A good case example is the digital migration of Kenya, a country in East Africa, whereby the government forced media owners to shift from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting without paying any regard to the ability of its citizens to access this information. In fact, they forcefully shut down every analogue transmitter for the three leading media stations in the country and plunged the entire country into a media blackout for nearly three weeks (19 days to be precise). During the period of media blackout, most Kenyans relied on internet broadcasting to watch news and follow their favorite programs, showing that this is the future of broadcasting. However, we should not overlook the fact that the government can still try to interfere with internet broadcasting for its own reasons, especially if the players in government are corrupt, or want to favor or support corrupt media officials. Consequently, it is equally imperative that internet broadcasting be free from any form of interference from the government in order to promote press freedom, as well as ensure ease of access to information by citizens (Jin & Winseck, 2011). How Political Economy Derails Internet Broadcasting A rogue political structure will always want to control every form of broadcasting in order to limit the citizens from accessing important information through the various media platforms available within the country, such as internet, radio and TV. As such, in order to stop internet broadcasting, the government will try to control the ease of internet connectivity across the country. In fact, in most developing countries, one can only access LAN in cities and major institutions located in urban areas. This means that the rural and remote areas are automatically out of reach for internet streaming technology. There has been a direct influence of politicians to the internet broadcasting. Bloggers and those people who share their minds on social platforms have reduced freedom and privacy. This is because the bloggers are arrested when they share something on the internet platforms that is against some political leader’s ideologies or criticism. This was happened recently in Kenya where a youthful blogger was arrested at the Ugandan border for writing something about the president. Such actions deny citizens some of their freedoms, such political influence on internet broadcasting may scare users, and hence politicians will be on the loose. The world was migrating towards the digital platform for airing television services, they gave citizens time to get the necessary equipments that will enable them view their favorite stations on digital platform. However, this did not happen in Kenya because due to some political influence, the stations we were switched off before citizens were ready for the migration, hence denying them the chance to watch news and their favorite TV programs. As a result of people being shut away from news, politicians took the chance to do what they like because citizens were not following their actions. The political economy of a given country largely affects its international relations with other countries. Those countries with similar political economy will have close ties and to some extent, may segregate themselves from those ones with firm and different political economies. For example, a country in which politicians are free to influence directly in the issues of internet broadcasting will only close ties or transact business with another country with the same influence. This segregation brings about slow economic growth and bad international relations even between the innocent citizens of the rivaling company (Lawrence & Sloane, 2001). How Political Economy Promotes Internet Broadcasting Judging from its name, internet broadcasting heavily relies on the internet in order to work effectively. Therefore, in order for internet broadcasting to grow within a country, there has to be ease of access and connection to internet. A government can ensure a large portion of its population has access to internet by ensuring the country is well connected with internet, such as through fiber optic cables, wi-fi, or licensing local internet providers, such as telecommunication companies. This will enable everyone within every corner of the country has access to the internet, as such; make it easy for him or her to stream live every piece of news broadcasted through the internet. Another way for the political economy to support internet broadcasting is to lower the cost of internet connectivity within the country. It is not enough to have every region in the country have access to fast speed internet connectivity then not empower the targeted users to be in a position to use it. In fact, the monetary constraint of live internet streaming is what cuts off most people from adopting internet broadcasting because of the high costs they will incur. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to make these internet services available to the general public much easily, and at an affordable price. If possible, the government should advocate for free internet in major public installations, such as schools, hospitals, markets, and recreational centers to enable people at these centers or within its environs to access internet easily, and as such stream important information through internet broadcasting. In addition, the government should also ease access to internet supporting devices such as Smartphones (Seabright & Hagen, 2007). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that internet broadcasting is the future of media and the broadcasting industry. As such, it is imperative for the political economy of any given region or country to foster and promote the growth and development of internet broadcasting as this will enable people to get firsthand information at the touch of the button. The government will be able to pass across important information to the public much quicker and ensure all people get it. References Evens, T., Losifidis, P., & Smith, P. (2013). The Political Economy of Television Sports Rights. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Hardy, J. (2014). Critical Political Economy of the Media: An Introduction. London: Routledge. Jin, D., & Winseck, D. (2011). The Political Economies of Media: The Transformation of the Global Media Industries. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: FT Press. Lawrence, D. & Sloane, A. (2001). Multimedia Internet Broadcasting: Quality, Technology and Interface. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. Seabright, P., & Hagen, J. (2007). The Economic Regulation of Broadcasting Markets: Evolving Technology and Challenges for Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More