Constitutive Choices in Media: United States and Google

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Constitutive Choices in Media: United States and Google

Starr (1, 4) defines constitutive choices as the set of circumstances that lead to the creation of an institutional and material framework in human society based on set limitations. In other words, they are decisions on how structures are constructed, operated and changed. For that matter, constitutive choices – in the context of media – are the decisions made regarding institutional and material frameworks in relation to communication and information management. The constitutive choices are never clearly made but results from moments when culture is defined or economic and political changes take place. Currently, constitutive choices are composed of sudden bursts of change brought about by social, economic and political crisis along with related technological advancements (Starr 4). In this respect, when social and technical institutions face limitations, they are forced to adapt a single solution that works for all. In this case, the solution is the constitutive choice, while the limitations are the constitutive moments. Therefore, in facing constitutive moments, the decision makers can either choose to adapt to the limitation by ignoring and working around it or propose a change toward a direction that they consider favorable. In reference to that, the choices made in a constitutive moment have cumulative effects in the long run and branching pattern relationships. Consequently, previous choices will always affect future constitutive limitations and choices available such that once a specific choice has been made all developments proceed along the path paved by the choice (Starr 1-2).

The constitutive choices made in relation to the media – print and broadcast – have traditionally always been with regard to political, social, and economic needs. In this case, as the world became a global village, governments saw the media as a tool that symbolized status and an instrument to control public opinion and perception. If to take an example, in the United States, media development was boosted by the American Revolution. In this respect, as a result of emerging victorious, the United States won the right to establish a liberal government that constitutionally permitted generous freedoms to all its citizens and thus restricted government interference in media freedom (Starr 2, 4).

Media development in the United States began with the formation of a federal postal service and print media, which were closely followed by the invention of the telegraph and telephone. Subsequently, broadcast media that included movie, radio, and television were developed. In reference to that, the developments can be attributed to the constitutive choices and political decisions of the United States, which differed sharply from those adopted by Europe and even its neighbor, Canada. United States adopted a liberal media that, not only, acted as government oversight tool, but was also mandated by the constitution. To ensure that it did not cede all control on media activities, the United States government set up the federal postal service that complemented other forms of media not under government control. The decision to set up the federal postal service was politically motivated though it had economic and social consequences (Starr 3).

The consequences of the choices made by United States at the end of the revolution were faster economic growth, more military might and a powerful media. Its economic and military might were inferior to those of European countries though its media was more liberal (Starr 2). Occasionally, the choices made in other areas have negatively affected media development. This is especially true when the political system feels threatened and uses constitutional loopholes to restrain media development. The United States is a country where politics is considered the foundation of the society and public opinion, as presented by the media, can make or break political careers. In some cases, the political processes that facilitates media development feels threatened by this development and halt them using legislative processes and the constitutional loopholes (Starr 3).

In concluding the case for media development in the United States, whatever media choices were available in the country were consequences of economic, political and social choices made previously. The decision to have a liberated society that upheld individual rights was economically, politically and socially motivated, and whatever consequences it had on media development in America were accidental and non-deliberate. The implication is that the United States never made any independently deliberate choices to develop its media.