The advent and massive expansion of the Internet and planetary scale digital platforms has breathed urgent new life into the enduring, simple, yet profound, question that animates this project: have the media industries, individually and collectively, become more or less concentrated over time? There are many studies on trends in media concentration within media industries and markets, but the new challenge presented is how to understand market power that derives from data-driven business models that operate across multiple media industries and markets.
The PhD student would be addressing the question of media concentration, and associated questions around media and communications power, from an original perspective that recognises the multidimensional nature of digital platform power, and their operations in multi-sided markets. The project will focus in particular upon three issues:
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work with a leading global team of researchers. The Global Media and internet Concentration (GMIC) Project involves over 50 researchers from 40 countries, who are examining the question of whether media concentration is increasing in their countries, and how digital platforms are changing the parameters of what we understand to be media concentration.
The supervisory team will be:
The aims of the study are threefold. They are:
The successful PhD student will benefit from:
Applicants are invited to submit a proposal for PhD research that aligns directly to this project.
Prospective candidates may qualify for direct entry into the PhD program if their research proposal (see above) is accepted and they satisfy at least one of the criteria listed below.
For more information regarding applying for a PhD refer to the course details for Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences).
Please also refer to guidelines for preparing a research proposal.
A number of scholarships are available to support your studies:
These scholarships will provide a stipend allowance of $35,629 per annum for up to 3.5 years. Successful international students will also receive a tuition fee scholarship for up to 3.5 years.
For other scholarship opportunities refer to Faculty Research Scholarships (Domestic) or Faculty Research Scholarships (International).
For further details about the PhD project, contact Professor Terry Flew at terry.flew@sydney.edu.au.