ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses basic trends and implications of large media ownership in a corporate age, and its implications for personal autonomy and democracy, by engaging much of the increasingly sizable literature on mega-media corporations. The first section reviews the nature of large-media ownership today, including reasons for why it has taken the form that it has. It then explores concerns about how large corporate media ownership may undermine democracy and individual autonomy, highlighting issues of standardization, corporate promotion and the influence of advertising. The chapter concludes by reflecting on ethical strategies for mitigating the influence of media ownership.
