Through detailing the intricacies of globally networked production ecologies, Baltruschat elucidates the shifting power relations in media production, especially in regards to creative labor and trade of intellectual properties. In the new global economy, "content" has become the "new currency." As a result, relational dynamics between cultural agents emerge as key forces in shaping worldwide cultural production, now increasingly characterized by flexible production and consumption.
The blurring of lines in international media developments require new parameters, which define creativity and intellectual property in relation to interactive audiences and collaboratively produced content. Baltruschat clearly maps and defines these new dynamics and provides solutions as to how creative labor constellations can advance and enrich the new media economy. This is especially pertinent as global film and TV production does not necessarily result in greater media diversity. On the contrary, interdependencies in policy regimes, prioritization of certain genres, and branded entertainment epitomize how current networked ecologies reflect broader trends in cultural and economic globalization.
Doris Baltruschat is Instructor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University.