Post Three

          In relation to media ownership, it is evident that the majority of the information being put out today is owned and controlled by a small number of companies. CBS, Time Warner, Viacom, News Corp, Comcast, and Clear Channel (or the "big six") are responsible for manipulating all of the information that we, as active members of modern society, are recipients of on a daily basis. The number of corporations in control have decreased exponentially through the years, and a monopoly has inevitably been created. 

          In a male-dominated industry, there is a serious misrepresentation of both women and minorities within mainstream media today.  Women are used more so as selling objects or sex symbols than anything else, and varied media outlets are flooded with stereotypical depictions of different minority groups. The decision to ignore particular matters is quite explicit within the masked men behind the "big six". In Understanding Patriarchy, Bell Hooks even states that they tend to "dismiss women and feminism as irrelevant to their own experiences". 

          One could argue the presence of social media serves as a potential solution to limiting the amount of excessive power that these companies have attained. Social media outlets and the Internet, have allowed members of the public to produce their own original material, and have it seen public ally by the entire world. But it seems like the competition is not as fierce as it should. We are still recipients of information that we may not realize we are receiving...needless to say, even on the Internet or on a social media outlet/application. 

          As an aspiring filmmaker, I recognize the lack of female filmmakers (as well as content about women) in mainstream, particularly Hollywood films. In Art and Activism, Catherine Saalfield states that, "A major problem, even today, is convincing men that films by and about women are important". After researching lists of notable female-made films in the past, I noticed that there are only a handful of titles for each decade. In the 2000s, for example, there was a total of 28 recognizable titles made by female filmmakers. Most of the films were created independently from major film studios, and were produced by the women themselves.

          It seems as though the best route to countering the popular male-dominated stand and information in modern media, is creating through alternative media. I believe that private organizations and companies producing content completely independently, are taking the initiative in changing society's mindset; the goal is to ultimately be able to recognize the fundamental difference between "what they want us to see" and "what we should be seeing ".

          Films like Lost in Translation, American Psycho, Marie Antoinette, and The Hurt Locker would have never existed if these notable female filmmakers didn't decide to take matters into their own hands, and produce something independently; separate from mainstream studios. Thus, the proof is in the pudding: a larger percentage of the female-produced and directed films are not only independent, but turn out to be just as successful and recognizable as the male-made Hollywood blockbusters. The key thing to recognize is that an audience exists for more intelligent and important material. It's just a matter of creating it for them.