It's interesting to see the impact that media, particularly television, has had on society, but as pointed out in the reading it's even more interesting to see the impact society can have on television. Television programming revolves around consumer desires, which inevitably impact the success and/or failure of new media as well. This impact having changed advertisers and networks' outlooks has both positive and negative aspects. Though I do find it important that consumers have a voice in media culture, it's sad to see that networks are so quick to please. This results in the skewing of the true identity of a program, simply to increase or maintain ratings.
The idea that movies or music or television "are no longer just intellectual property" but rather "emotional capital" is disturbing. Exploitation has become so acceptable in media that it's hard to imagine media now without it. Product placement is an example of a very common tactic used in media today. Do you think if media didn't utilize this tactic it could change the overall themes, interpretations, or other aspects of a television program or movie? From the clothes a character wears to the types of refreshments they drink or cars they drive, product placement has a great impact on a movie. Lambourghini deciding to pay to have a character in a film driving their car as opposed to the beater Oldsmobile that was written in the script can change a lot about the plot. Scripts could even be alterred based on a company paying a ridiculously large sum to place their product. Though I am not completely opposed to product placement, I believe it has and will continue to go too far.
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