raymond williams :: TELEVISION interested in culture grew up in wales culture as living reality, not as high culture Culture critic of literature and drama not bourgeois interested in the working class marxist but not quite like: attitude of marxism towards culture was a repudiation of pop culture culture as production of commodities williams approach:: thinks of culture and the various froms of communication as a major way in which our sense of reality our aprension of reality culture as a material force drama >> grew up with print culture --------------------------- concept of flow -watching television is not simply watching a program >> tv experience in america :: commercial tv, advertising >>>> commercial mentality >> sequence as flow :: planned flow -flow concept in the 21st century >> new ads to the frame >> can be transposed to other formats >> ---------------------- against technological determinism :: technological effects ::: linear process :: creates outcomes >>> linear models against "global village" idea by machluhan >> electric tech :: village : tribal: emotional affiliation >> technologies creating societies >> tech controlling agency economic decisions, political decisions >>> social processes >>> social systems shape technology how do we characterized BBC in the 1970s >>> technically independent makes money with licences in tv receivers paternalistic non profit public interest :: euducational public affairs >> early commitment to news obligation to the population different to american commercial TV >>> lets give the audience what they want the "public interest" was used in all the legal documents in the USA >> public interest, convenient, and necessity >> the state role >>> came from legal commision on trasnportation : crossing boundaries finnancial system influence over content production >>> opportunity and oppression shaping of technology systems competition apolitical,, non political, not edgy, mobile privatization >>> private home, mobile population, industrialization >>> broadcasting system is organized in this context individual :: private consumer >> consumer transactions >>> privatization commodity system that goes with the broadcasting system >>> messages localism, quality programming, low brow content??? >>>> what do you wanna sacrifice??? >>>> the state has to accomodate many rationals :: chain broadcasters coming from radio, local interest there is nothing natural in the communication systems >>> shaped by different forces, contexts, causal structure of agency >>> agency as power what does the tech allows to afford? size of the country matters at the time of evaluating the agency >>> local culture, national culture localism >> local communities and rights social struggle >. struggle over the shaping of communication systems political economy and cultural materialism vitality of culture *********************************** Williams discusses "mobile privatization" in order to describe the contradictions of modern urban industrial capitalist society, specifically the need for mobility and the need for “home-centered way of living.” The social institution of broadcasting satisfies those needs through centralized transmission and privatized reception. In our contemporary times of globalization and information economy/society the discussion of "mobile privatization" can be updated. Although the social institution of broadcasting has not disappeared, it has started to coexist with new institutions that rely in a different model of transmission and reception (e.g. the Internet). New social needs such as participation in communities of interest, collective problem solving, construction of post-national identities, and sharing of information goods are satisfied by the use and development of computer networking technologies. It seems to me that in the current state of late capitalism (post-industrial, post-state, post-modern), the needs of a global society are way more complex than a passive mobility and a private consumerism. The need for mobilizing oneself is replaced with the needs for creating one space and linking oneself in the network (e.g. myspace websites). The needs for private consumption and private property are replaced with the needs for community participation and communal information goods (e.g. creative commons). I think a more appropriate phrase for discussing contemporary new media technologies and post-broadcasting social institutions would be "network commons-ization." Centralized in the TV As Davis explains, mobile in the sense of providing an ever expanding worldview and private through localization in a broadcasting as a social institution in the U.S.A and the UK. of broadcasting as a social institution, -------------- WILLIAMS text: technologies as by-product of a social process "The technology would be seen, that is to say, as being looked for and developed with certain purposes and practices already in mind. At the same time the interpretation would differ from symptomatic technology in that these purposes and practices would be seen as direct: as known social needs, purposes and practices to which the technology is not marginal but central." 7 -social history of television as a technology series of events >> complex of inventions and developments social dimension the development of a technology moves into the stage of a new social form incentives and responses within a phase of general social transformation history of capital accumulation >> creates new needs and new possibilities >>> media as outcome -social history of the uses of television technology industrial production needs of an established and developed military and commercial system "electric technology of the second phase, which was properly and significantly called broadcasting. A technology of specific messages to specific persons was complemented, but only relatively late, by a technology of varied messages to a general public." 13 needs >> led the development of a new technology of social communication "The centralization of political power led to a need for messages from that centre along other than official lines." 14 new information and new kinds of orientation were deeply required. broadcasting as a new form of social integration and control social, political and economical intentions real determining factors: >> set limits and exert presures: -distribution of power or of capital -social and political inheritance -relation of scale and size between groups process of social development, socail growth , and social struggle product of a particular social system ************************************************************************************************* Raymond Williams primarily worked with print media throughout his career, but this particular volume has prompted a great deal of attention ever since it was published. Since he worked with several media institutions such as the BBC, it may be logical that he actively questions the role of the State in shaping contemporary media systems. How would you describe his prescription for the State in this particular book? In other words, what is the appropriate role for government authority in matters of national communication systems? What are the limits to its power with respect to broadcasting? role of the State in shaping contemporary media systems >> depends of what kind of needs are more important it is kind of weak. it is not that powerful. the power is not in the state different solutions >>> state has to negotiate with capitalist interests >>> in the UK limited separation of powers between the state and capitalist intersts, in western europe direct state regulation of production (italy, france), in comunist societies state control of broadcasting was rationalised alternative solution in the USA>> "The manufacturing institutions, both directly in the sale of sets and indirectly in the suply of advertising money, determined the shape of broadcasting institutions. Thus the broadcasting public was effectively, from the beginning, the competitive broadcasting market." 29 notions of market regulatory control >> competitive market >> keep the market open competition between "public service" vs "commercial institutions" UK : public service first, commercial network added later. USA : first commercial and public-service element added later the issue is who are developing the contemporary media systems >> with tv the aparatus was manufactured by capitalist >>> new media systems are sometimes developed by other kind of interests, say open source systems that are more collaborative what is the appropriate role for government authority in matters of national communication systems? ideally, utopia, democratic, political authority, national security, identity, culture What are the limits to its power with respect to broadcasting? >>> limited by corporations, private interests, business, capital acumulation.>> monopoly very limited "complicated relationship between a public authority and state and corporate political and economic interests." 32 >>>>> contradiction of capitalist societies and capital acumulation "the problems of investing for production, in any broadcasting system, are severe." 24 "there could have been a socially financed system of production and distribution" 24 >> kind of BBC costs of broadcasting new content costs of producting the aparatus, the receivers >>> deep contradiction of broadcasting model :: centralised transmision and privatised reception . 24 "crisis of production control and financing" 24 who has the power for producing? manufacters of equipment were too powerful to be controlled advertising >>> broadcasters are too powerful to be controlled by the stat producers of receivers ::: domestic sets producers and distributors of content :: shows, etc broadcasting system >>> aparatus/devices for transmission and reception, content to be produced and distributed. >> very expensive changing society social processes and state ::: the question is also about the role of the state in the social transformation and in the history of capitalism. what are the needs of the contemporary society? social transformation state and military :: can you separate them? commercialization and government >> private vs public interest business money "The centralization of political power led to a need for messages from that centre along other than official lines." 14 needs >> led the development of a new technology of social communication broadcasting as a new form of social integration and control >>> understanding broadcasting broadcasting as a product of a particular social system >> late-capitalism, post-industrialization media systems as products of a social process social, political and economical intentions history of capital accumulation >> creates new needs and new possibilities >>> media as outcome p.10 >>> social dimension economic level : systems of production, of business, of transport, are already organized new systems of social communication are not organized>> newness: novelty established forms usually provide a system for capitalizing the new systems stage of a a new social form >>> development of techs industrial production and transformations >> new social forms >> history of capital acumulation >> communication systems come from these needs >>>>> I will say the state and the government also come from these needs transformation of the state as well. the state is also less powerful compared to other economic powers. who holds the power? is the state the center of politic and economic power???? *****************************my post about the state >> Ambigous Role and Complicated Relationships In "Television: Technology and Cultural Form," Williams describes and critics, historically, the ambiguous role of the State in capitalist societies, in matters of communication systems. He also reveals the complicated relationship between the State and the corporate and economic interests. Comparing the history of British and American broadcasting systems, Williams points out the problems of controlling and financing the production and distribution of technology (apparatus for transmission and reception) and content (programs). Initially, since the State could not deal with all the material costs, the commercial and industrial powers (manufacturers, corporations, networks, advertising) ended having more power for determining the shape of broadcasting institutions. In a second stage, after 1950s, the USA government gained power by joining a complex military, political, and industrial communication system that operated globally and was able to "penetrate the broadcasting systems of all other available states."(34) This power, facilitated the expansion of the broadcasted corporations and the international commercial advertising. As a result, there has been a global commercialization of television. Although Williams is aware of the confusing role of the State in capitalist societies representing the "public interest" and avoiding interfering in the market, he also seems to claim, towards the end of his book, for a more democratic, autonomous, and truly independent role. Almost in a utopian way, Williams imagines a different kind of broadcasting, more democratic and local, more interactive and creative, where public and community service replace the capitalist commercial interest. Perhaps we can say that the appropriate role of the State will be to foster this kind of alternative communication systems.