Synopsis:
What if I told you that in some tournaments it’s not about who’s the best, but who’s the worst? Welcome to #MediaMadness, the annual tournament to prove which corporation is the worst media company.
We interact with these 16 corporations on a daily basis and not by choice. They are our cell phone providers, purveyors of Internet, the news we consume, and the websites we visit to distract ourselves. What do they all have in common? They suck, and the worst part is…they know it. These companies have merged their way into our lives, leaving us with big bills to pay and no alternatives. Collectively, media and tech companies are the biggest lobbying industry in the U.S. and their efforts are paying off as the rules and policies that are meant to protect us have fallen by the wayside.
Their madness results in fewer than 3% of local TV stations and less than 8% of radio stations owned by people of color. Thanks (not) to Verizon and a federal court decision we have an internet where the companies can pick and choose which websites and voices should be heard. Most of us only have the option 3 cell phone providers and if you live in a rural community, good luck finding two. The lack of competition even as technology has evolved has led to higher phone bills while landlines phones are being threatened out of existence. And how about those tech companies, who’ve handed over our personal information to the NSA leaving our communities open to discriminatory practices. You get the point….it’s media madness.
Click the bracket to enlarge
The Rules
1. There are 16 teams broken up by four conferences. Broadcast, Wireless Region, Cable, and Silicone Valley.
2. Starting Wednesday we’ll be releasing a blog per conference to determine the four conference champions that move on to the Final Four.
3. Laugh, cry, SMH, and share!
4. On Monday we’ll post the #MediaMadness Final Four.
5. Follow #MediaMadness and tell us who you think is the worst!
6. Join our action list, yes these problems are madness but together we can change this.
Check out our Broadcast Region Bracket
Check out our Wireless Region Bracket
Check out our Cable Region Bracket
