EOTO #2: Research

  The Sherman Antitrust Act is a landmark act that was passed in 1890 with the American people’s best interest in mind. It outlawed any monopolistic business practices in America which means that it eliminates the act of dominating a market and suppressing any competition. This federal legislation was enacted in order to promote a free market and allow people to succeed in any business venture they decide to without having to compete with competition that dominates the market. It is used to protect small businesses and allow them to thrive in our economic system. It gives them a fair shot to go after the same consumers as well as helping the consumer to ensure fair pricing for every product. 

Sherman AntiTrust Act of 1890 

Now it's hard to imagine that legislation passed in 1890 still holds true today and does what it's supposed to but in most cases it has done its job to deter monopolies in America. It is still cited today to break up monopolies such as Standard oil in 1911 which controlled a lot of the oil in America and was deemed illegal. It has even been cited as recently as 1998 to break up monopolies of much more notable copies such as Microsoft. It paved the way for global reform when it comes to promoting free markets by adopting laws that are similar to the Sherman AntiTrust Act. As everything does, there are times when it has not been beneficial for Americans and lots of the interpretations are based on opinions. These opinions are often swayed by the political agendas that politicians push to enhance their campaigns and make them look better. It can be manipulated in ways that hurt Americans and benefit the top 0.1% of America who have enough connections they can create monopolies without repercussions. 

Illustration of the Big Six 

One of the biggest, lesser known, monopolies is the mass media and who owns them. Media Consolidation has been a silent problem that is not talked about enough in America despite it being a bring problem. Media Consolidation is the combination of a couple large companies buying up a bunch of smaller companies in order to control the market. The companies that make up the media and have a lot of control over it are known as the big six which is made up of Disney, Fox, AT&T, Comcast, Paramount, and Sony. These six companies basically control every major news outlet giving them the power to spread any type of news and push whatever agenda they desire. They have the power to sway the majority in any way they please at any time. 

As scary as that is for Americans, the biggest threat it poses is their ability to silence any opinion they do  not like or one that opposes the narrative they have chosen. It gives them the full ability to squeeze out any smaller independent voices that would maybe appeal to some people. This eliminates some of our first amendment rights to free speech by censoring those voices who do not conform to their way of thinking. The scariest part, there really is not much to do about since they all push the same narratives at the same time. It also makes it much harder for newer creators to enter the space allowing for a recurring cycle of the same news sources that seem to be reliable, when in reality they just have established control over the industry. 

Consolidated media leads to less access to unbiased credible information for the American public to form their own opinions. The use of it to sway the public opinion on certain controversial issues especially around election times, undermines our democracy and what makes our country great. It doesn't just affect the political climate of America but it also allows for big corporations to steal the airtime from the small businesses and push their products which are higher in price. They are able to manipulate price points any way they want and it destroys small businesses in America. The bottom line is, if Media Consolidation is not dismantled, our democracy will forever be at risk to fall apart.