- Digital Culture and Societyedit
Throughout the history of 'music industry' in the UK at least, legislators have frequently been called upon to help establish and preferable (profitable) . . socio-economic maintain arrangements in the face of disruption following... more
Throughout the history of 'music industry' in the UK at least, legislators have frequently been called upon to help establish and preferable (profitable) . . socio-economic maintain arrangements in the face of disruption following technological development. The history of copyright legislation can thus be read as one in which we see the gradual extension and expansion of rights III ways that enable the effective monetisation of practices afforded by technological development, and/or the restriction of those technologically afforded practices seen to be detrimental to existing profit accumulation strategies. The passing of the Digital Economy Act 2010 (c.24), which brings forward new anti-file-sharing measures, further illustrates the apparent capacity of music corporations to affect legislative action/change in this area. This thesis offers an account and analysis of the visible 'discursive' mechanisms via which recording companies and their representatives were appa...
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In his Information Age trilogy, Manuel Castells documents the transformation of economic power by means of network affordances. In more recent work, he has built an account of the linking of economic power with cultural and political... more
In his Information Age trilogy, Manuel Castells documents the transformation of economic power by means of network affordances. In more recent work, he has built an account of the linking of economic power with cultural and political power through ‘Murdochization’ or ‘the networking of networks’. Whilst Castells’ account of power has thus developed to acknowledge the integration of economic, cultural and political interests within networks, his account of ‘counterpower’ remains largely focused on cultural and political resistance in the form of protest. Here we explore a case of economic counterpower, the unauthorized livestreaming of digital sports broadcasts. Analysis of this particular case (of counterpower) is particularly significant, given the centrality of Murdochization in Castells’ account of power in the network society. Emerging out of, alongside, and in response to the growth of, Murdochized digital media sports networks, we explore the scope and limits of livestreaming ...
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Abstract Despite evidence suggesting some convergence between the drinking practices of men and women in recent years, alcohol-related behaviour appears to remain significantly gendered in the UK, with males being more likely to drink... more
Abstract Despite evidence suggesting some convergence between the drinking practices of men and women in recent years, alcohol-related behaviour appears to remain significantly gendered in the UK, with males being more likely to drink alcohol and to drink greater quantities of alcohol than females for instance. The authors of this paper view alcohol-related behaviour as one particular sphere of practice through which gender may be performed and normative gender identities accomplished. The authors ask where the next ...
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This chapter involves a consideration of the opportunities that new ‘Social Media’ may provide for the circulation of alternative and critical information pertaining to war, particularly that which reveals the criminality and wrongdoing... more
This chapter involves a consideration of the opportunities that new ‘Social Media’ may provide for the circulation of alternative and critical information pertaining to war, particularly that which reveals the criminality and wrongdoing present in war, and especially on the part of those powerful institutions who would seek to legitimate it. The chapter is not concerned with engaging in debates about what constitutes crime, wrongdoing, or otherwise in the context of war, but rather with the ways in which wrongdoing in this context may be brought to the public attention, and with what the implications of this might be. It is asserted that as part of its analyses, a developing criminology of war must concern itself with the role of this changing media environment.
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Research Interests:
Despite evidence suggesting some convergence between the drinking practices of men and women in recent years, alcohol-related behaviour appears to remain significantly gendered in the UK, with males being more likely to drink alcohol and... more
Despite evidence suggesting some convergence between the drinking practices of men and women in recent years, alcohol-related behaviour appears to remain significantly gendered in the UK, with males being more likely to drink alcohol and to drink greater quantities of alcohol than females for instance. The authors of this paper view alcohol-related behaviour as one particular sphere of practice through which gender may be performed and normative gender identities accomplished.
Research Interests:
In his Information Age trilogy, Manuel Castells documents the transformation of economic power by means of network affordances. In more recent work, he has built an account of the linking of economic power with cultural and political... more
In his Information Age trilogy, Manuel Castells documents the transformation of economic power by means of network affordances. In more recent work, he has built an account of the linking of economic power with cultural and political power through 'Murdochization' or 'the networking of networks'. Whilst Castells' account of power has thus developed to acknowledge the integration of economic, cultural and political interests within networks, his account of 'counter-power' remains largely focused on cultural and political resistance in the form of protest. Here we explore a case of economic counterpower, the unauthorized livestreaming of digital sports broadcasts. Analysis of this particular case (of counterpower) is particularly significant, given the centrality of Murdochization in Castells' account of power in the network society. Emerging out of, alongside, and in response to the growth of, Murdochized digital media sports networks, we explore the scope and limits of livestreaming as a form of economic counterpower and counter-Murdochization. In this article, we document Castells' theory of network power, the centrality of Murdochization to that account, and the centrality of monopoly control over digital sports broadcasting to Murdochized media empires. The scope and resilience of alternative streaming media in switching live sports programming from pay to view to free sharing is then examined. The failure to date of all attempts to prohibit free streams shows the ongoing viability of such economic counterpower. However, whilst dominant actors cannot eliminate economic coun-terpower, where dominant actors choose not to broadcast, no switching of content can take place.