Communications

Democratization of Mass Media


Volokh argues in his article “Cheap Speech and What It Will Do,” that new information technology will lead to a large-scale democratization of communication. This will result in a much larger number of people participation, not just acting audience members. He cites examples from developing technology in music, books, magazines, newspapers and video or television to prove his argument. He argues that in today’s society there is a bias of favoring the speech of the rich, and that much of mass media today is bland. This reflects a bias towards money, and the message that are produced by the advertising, which go hand in hand with the source of that money. Volokh argues that new information technology will decrease the disparity between the rich and the poor, allow for a broader range of choices for the public, and allow a much more democratized media.
Volokh begins his argument with a look into the popular music industry and exist...