This week I sit here trying to think of what to write in my third blog post, when really all I want is another delicious skinny mocha from caffeine. But I ponder the concentration of media ownership, also known as ‘The Big 5.’ These companies rule the world of media.
While visiting Disneyland, numerous years ago now, I was in a fairytale of dress ups and Disney characters that allowed me to get photos with Winnie the Pooh and get complimented by Cinderella on my ‘teeth jewellery.’ A very nice way of saying I had huge, metal train tracks = braces. But I never knew that one day I would be studying what a huge and influential company that Walt Disney created.
Walt Disney Corp is now one the best known empires in the world, which began purely from Walt Disney, his ideas, enthusiasm and hard work. Walt Disney was the first to introduce colour to cartoons and to utilize the first multi plane camera technique. Walt Disney Corp is “the largest diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise.”
The Walt Disney Corp is a key example of a global media empire that is present all around the world; I can’t imagine who didn’t grow up without the ongoing presence of Mickey Mouse, Pocahontas or Hannah Montana!
References:
Wingert, C, (1999) Just Disney, Date Retrieved 31/07/2012 http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/long_bio.html ,
The Walt Disney Company, (2011), Company Overview, Date Retrieved 31/07/2012 http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/disney-history
Hello there Tori! What a great blog! I adore the Disneyland example of a global media empire! Considering that most of the students are generation X (and some gen Y), we were bound to grow up with Disney characters. I found your personal experience of Disney to be very engaging. Perhaps you could add a little bit about the impact the world of Disney had on you growing up? I find that the Disney World gave me a great understanding of good vs. evil and how to treat others well. However, I must add, in my time of viewing, many of the characters were rather stereotypical – that is, the females were thin and attractive (no blotches or bruses!) and the males were very fit and lean. Did this give you a warped sense of the world?
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good post, I like that you have included a personal anecdote about your time in disneyland, it makes the post more relatable and therefore approachable to the reader. I see the connection you are making to globalisation and media, but I think it would be good if you could perhaps make that connection a little clearer. But otherwise a very strong post.
ReplyDeleteDisneyland- what a great example of a global empire, one that I hadn't given much though too! [alot more exciting and relatable that Rupert Murdoch] Walt Disney seems to be an empire that most kids at come stage have had contact with in there upbringing, I know I definitely was a Walt Disney kid. The world of Disney had a huge impact on me and my siblings growing up, every Saturday morning watching cartoons on the Disney channel. The powerful creations of these well known characters over time have enhanced children's imagination. Good post!
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