Hi! I need to complete a thorough literature review for my dissertation about power, autonomy, dataification, and information in relation to music streaming platforms (Spotify and Apple Music).
The key concepts of my research will need to be introduced and defined. They are data capitalism, autonomy/agency, and media power.
Following the instructions of my advisor regarding this portion, she told me to start from political economy and the concept of media power. Review the literature and tell the readers how media power has been defined earlier and then discuss that the problem with the research tradition is that when media power has been researched in the past, it has been done mainly from the viewpoint of the media companies’ and their viewpoints, using them as the starting points. In contrast, I am going to be doing things differently by studying media power from the audiences’ point of view and perspective. Then, she said to bring in the readings about audience studies and briefly discuss or say something about audiences and users and something about how the political economy concept has been challenged by audiences and users, that there are studies that have shown that audiences and users do not use media in homengous ways. She also said the concept of digital capitallism can either be discussed before or after political economy, whichever makes more sense. She said to introduce the viewpoints that some academics claim that this has given more power to audiences (Castells) while others say that there is no change. In a way, she said that you start with what has been done or said before, you introduce the key concepts, and without the results you set up the discourse and then take your reader through it all and narrow it down. She also said it could be interesting to discuss music studies as well, how it is less studied in relation to the media industry and media power and basically, due to this lack of coverage, I will be studying it.
Research Study Title: Passive Audiences or Active Users?: How the Datafication and Personalization of Music Streaming Platforms has Revolutionized the Listening Experience for Users of Spotify and Apple Music in the U.S.
Research Question: To what extent, if any, have users of music streaming services become powerful in their consumption of music within these platforms?
Subquestion 1: To what extent, if any, do users have pre-information or educate themselves about how music streaming services operate? (How actually informed are users on the ways music streaming services operate before they begin to use them?
Subquestion 2: To what extent, if any, do the users feel empowered in their choice of music/what they choose to listen to?
Subquestion 3: To what extent, if any, do users have agency or autonomy over/in the kind of music they consume?
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