From corporate to social media : critical perspectives on corporate social responsibility in media and communication industries / Marisol Sandoval.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sandoval, Marisol, author.

Series:

Routledge advances in sociology ; 123.

Routledge advances in sociology ; 123

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social responsibility of business.

Mass media--Moral and ethical aspects.

Mass media.

Telecommunication--Moral and ethical aspects.

Telecommunication.

Social media--Moral and ethical aspects.

Social media.

Physical Description:

xix, 292 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2014.

Summary:

The corporate and the social are crucial themes of our times. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, both individual lives and society were shaped by capitalist crisis and the rise of social media. But what marks the distinctively social character of "social media"? And how does it relate to the wider social and economic context of contemporary capitalism? The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is based on the idea that a socially responsible capitalism is possible; this suggests that capitalist media corporations can not only enable social interaction and cooperation but also be socially responsible. This book provides a critical and provocative perspective on CSR in the media and communication industries. It examines both the academic discourse on CSR and actual corporate practices in the media sector, offering a double critique that reveals contradictions between corporate interests and social responsibilities. Marisol Sandoval's political economic analysis of Apple, AT&T, Google, HP, Microsoft, News Corp, The Walt Disney Company and Vivendi shows that media and communication in the twenty-first century are confronted with fundamental social responsibility challenges. From software patents and intellectual property rights to privacy on the Internet, from working conditions in electronics manufacturing to hidden flows of eWaste - this book encourages the reader to explore the multifaceted social (ir)responsibilities that shape commercial media landscapes today. It makes a compelling argument for thinking beyond the corporate in order to envision and bring about truly social media. It will interest students and scholars of media studies, cultural industry studies, sociology, information society studies, organization studies, political economy, business and management. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction 3

Corporate media as monster media? 5

A critical analysis of CSR in media and communication industries 8

Research foci and structure 11

2 Corporate social responsibility - critical perspectives 15

Towards a typology of CSR approaches 16

Four ways of thinking about the social responsibility of corporations 17

Conclusion 38

3 Social responsibility and the media 41

Media and communication industries - in search of a definition 42

Approaching the social responsibility of the media 50

Conclusion 62

4 Towards a critical empirical case study of CSR in media and communication industries 67

Studying CSR reporting 68

Research questions 69

The critical study of documents 72

Operationalizalion: a CCA of CSR reporting 83

Conclusion 96

5 Apple - dirty computers? 98

CSR approach 98

Controversies: labour rights 99

Conclusion 107

6 AT&T - Internet censor? 110

CSR approach 110

Controversies: net neutrality 112

Conclusion 119

7 Google - evil spy? 123

CSR approach 123

Controversies: online surveillance 125

Conclusion 133

8 HP-hazardous products? 138

CSR approach 138

Controversies: e-waste 141

Conclusion 148

9 Microsoft-knowledge monopoly? 151

CSR approach 151

Controversies: software patents 153

Conclusion 162

10 News Corporation - consciousness industry? 166

CSR approach 166

Controversies: media ideologies 168

Conclusion 177

11 The Walt Disney Company-nightmare factory? 182

CSR approach 182

Controversies: labour rights 185

Conclusion 190

12 Vivendi - corporate pirates? 192

CSR approach 192

Controversies: music file-sharing 195

Conclusion 201

13 Social (ir)responsibility in the media and communication system 205

CSR approaches 205

CSR practices 209

CSR challenges 223

Conclusion 229

14 The logic of property and the logic of the common in the media system 232

Conceptualizing the logic of property and the logic of the common 232

Critique: the logic of property in the media and communication system 235

Alternatives: the logic of the common in the media and communication system 238

15 Conclusion - social media as commons based media 245

CSR: from corporate to social media? 245

Monster media? 252

From CSR to RSC 253

Radical reformism as a strategy of social transformation 255.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415722568

041572256X

OCLC:

857370311