PLUR Is Dead, Media Is Concentrated, and I’m Tired of Staying Quiet
At the end of 2006, I found a Bassnectar track on my iPod. I shared the same iTunes account with my brother, so I had all this music from his Wakarusa days that I’d never heard. I remember I was driving my silver Volkswagen Bug, about to turn onto I-169 off of Memorial in Tulsa, OK, when a track called “Inspire the Empathetic” came on. I turned it up immediately. This sound sample hit — it was about media concentration.
It explained that in 1983, most mass media was owned by 50 companies. By 1992, that was cut to 24. By 2000, “the overwhelming majority of mass media was owned by only 6 companies,” which Bassnectar sliced and looped into his glitchy collage of sound. My punk rock heart was pissed — and I didn’t even fully understand what it meant yet. But it felt important. Like no one was talking about this. They still don’t. Our attention has been hijacked and shaped without us realizing it — and it’s been going on for 40+ years.
Around the same time, I stumbled across this goofy, early-2000s-style chart online. It was loud and kitschy, with a fake Tide-logo in the middle that said Ultra Concentrated Media — but what it showed was anything but funny. Disney. AOL TimeWarner. Viacom. News Corp. Bertelsmann. Six companies owned almost everything I watched, read, listened to, or thought was popular. The same company owned the news outlet, the TV station, the movie studio, and the record label — and they were all promoting each other’s content.
That chart branded itself into my brain. I can’t unsee it. I mean, just look at it! This was some time in 2007 and I think it was a few years old when I found it.
Even before that, I was already online deep. Could I claim to be one of the first e-girls? Probably. I was blogging on Xanga, posting on Eminem forums in middle school, and basically running MySpace in high school. Then in 2007, I reached out to Bassnectar on Myspace and got brought on around the time Underground Communication came out. My obsession with the internet and how we used it to connect sealed a lot for me: music, fandom, and how people respond to sound, energy, and meaning — especially when it’s driven by independent thinking. (Think: content creators now.)
That led me to study music business at the University of Colorado Denver… but eventually, I switched to communications, which I was double-majoring in. I realized I didn’t just care about the music industry — I cared about why people listened, how we receive messages, and who gets to define what culture even is. That’s when I landed in Dr. Brian Ott’s class: Intro to Mass Communications.
Dr. Ott: The Professor Who Gave Me the Language for What I Already Felt
I took two classes with Dr. Ott at UCD — and I wish I’d taken more.
That first class? Iconic. We spent an entire class, in that dark Tivoli auditorium, breaking down the song MmmBop by Hanson. Yes, seriously - engrained in my mind forever. So, Dr. Ott stood at the front and asked, “Why the fuck is this song popular?” No one had an answer — which was the point. We learned pop culture isn’t always about quality. It’s manufactured, pushed, repeated, and sold until it sticks. Ironically — kind of like the song Mmmbop.
He even wrote our textbook — Critical Media Studies: An Introduction — with Robert L. Mack. It broke down:
Ideology and hegemony – how dominant values get reinforced as “normal”
Political economy – how media ownership shapes content
Encoding/decoding – how meaning is produced by both creator and audience
Representation – how race, gender, class, and identity are portrayed (or distorted)
Audience reception – why people interpret media differently
Media convergence – how industries, platforms, and content merge
That class made it click: media isn’t just entertainment. It’s structure. It’s power. It’s a system that serves itself. It confirmed everything I’d felt since the Bassnectar Inspire the Empathetic track to the Tide-branded media concentration chart but this class in 2010 got my gears spinning in a more academic way.
Communications Theory: The Class That Cemented Everything
Later, I took Dr. Ott’s Communications Theory course. Year two or three. That one took longer to land — it was harder to wrap my brain around — but it sunk in deeper.
We traced communication across time: hieroglyphics, oral traditions, printing presses, books, newspapers, radio, TV, the internet, mobile phones, and now AI. Each shift gave us more access, but also more control. Dr. Ott made it clear: the smartphone wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It created an always-on media environment that didn’t empower — it tracked. It sold. It extracted.
I’m neurodivergent, and honestly? I barely understood half of what Dr. Ott was saying at the time, lol. But I remembered it. Communications was everywhere: in news, fandoms, politics, ads, branding, gaming. It overwhelmed me and it fascinated me, for life. And, my final paper about MMORPGs as full-blown communication systems with leadership, trust, and hierarchy built into the code — was just the start. I didn’t know it then, but I was already chasing the same questions I’m still asking now:
How do we connect? Who’s in control? What are we actually participating in?
And… what happens when we finally zoom out and see the whole system at play?
I Didn’t Get a PhD, But I Never Stopped Researching
I still think about going back to school for a PhD in communications — because I really do love and care about it that much. But life does life things. So instead, I lived it. I’ve spent the last 20 years learning through experience while keeping my academic brain running in the background the entire time.
I’ve studied music, pop culture, marketing, algorithms, and trend cycles. I’ve worked in entertainment, ran rebrand campaigns, help built brands, created content, learned literally every social and CRM platforms, and tracked everything I could about how media shapes people. I’m a quick learner, and what I’ve learned is this:
It’s not just that four, five, six companies (or dynasties or shareholders) own everything. It’s how that ownership shapes what we value, what we trust, what we pay attention to — and what we don’t.
The internet made us believe things were opening up. In reality, power just shifted. The old gatekeepers rebranded as platforms. Now we live in a world of algorithmic gatekeeping, corporate-funded content, and feedback loops that quietly tell us what to like.
The Point of All This — From One Ultimate Fan to Whoever’s Listening
I’m not doing this blog because I’m bitter. I’m doing it because I’m obsessed.
I’m a fan. Like, a real one. I grew up memorizing movie lines, quoting commercials, clocking pop culture references before anyone else. I can tell you exactly where I was during viral news moments, media scandals, the rise of YouTube, the early streaming wars, and when social media flipped the script on everything. I paid attention — not just to what we consumed, but how it was made and who was behind it.
And I’ve never stopped asking: “Why is this what we’re seeing?” Because I love this stuff. I love music. I love media. I love communications. And that’s why I care so much about how it’s being shaped, and who’s doing the shaping.
Not an Attack — Just an Invitation to Look Closer
When I break down corporate structures or name names, I’m not trying to destroy anyone. I’m just sharing what’s already out there — only in a way that’s more direct, easier to follow, and actually connected.
These companies are massive by design. They’re hard to trace for a reason. Their strategies are layered. Ownership is murky. The deeper you dig, the messier it gets. And most people don’t have the time (or energy) to go there. That’s why I do.
I don’t believe everyone working inside the system is evil. They’re not. I’ve worked inside it. I’ve met good people doing great work. I’ve also seen brilliant ideas get buried, accountability get dodged, and mediocrity get rewarded. This blog isn’t a hit job. It’s a curtain pull.
Because the story behind the story? It’s interesting. It’s dark. It’s often ridiculous. And it should be known — especially if it helps give people more choice, more agency, and more truth in what they’re consuming.
Communications Theory as Lifeline (and Lifelong Obsession)
The reason I keep coming back to communications — as a field and as a passion — is because it never stops giving me more to unpack. It makes my eyes go wide and my brain short-circuit. It’s the only subject that makes me want to scream and write 3,000 words at 3am while debating whether to make coffee or just ride the wave.
It connects everything: branding, politics, memes, AI, fandoms, systems of power, and the way people make meaning in the world. All of it. It’s all communication.
And in a year where I experienced deep personal trauma, starting this blog got me back to myself. It gave my brain somewhere to go again. It reminded me that I’m still curious. That I still care. That I still see things differently. And that maybe — that’s a gift I am not going to keep to myself anymore.
I’m not totally sure what the endgame is here. I just know I needed to start speaking up about something I care about deeply — because this stuff should be talked about. It’s real. It’s messy. It’s powerful. It affects everyone. Somebody has to start. So, heyyy…
Why I Use AI (and Why That Shouldn’t Be Taboo)
I use AI to help with the research — not because I’m lazy, but because these systems are so damn intricate that even a full-time researcher would struggle to keep up. What I am good at is asking the right questions. I know how to spot patterns. I know when something smells off. And AI helps me dig faster — so I can give you the breakdowns, the receipts, and the context in a way that makes sense.
Yes, I edit. I rewrite. I structure everything myself. I build the whole framework. But also? Who fucking cares. Why do you? Is that your argument here in this global political climate? lol. This blog isn’t about flexing authenticity for clout. It’s about access. And if I’m using every tool I’ve got to show you what I see — that’s the win, dawg.
One Last Thing (Because I Know Someone’s Gonna Say Something)
When I mention people by name, I do so carefully. I make sure what I’m saying is legally accurate and fair. Most of the time, if someone shows up here, it’s not out of spite — it’s because they played a role in the story, and I’m acknowledging that. I don’t use this platform to take cheap shots. If I write about someone, it’s either because I’ve thought deeply about it or because what happened mattered.
With Bassnectar — yes, I was once the head of the street team. And fuck yeah, those were some of the best, most fun years of my life (especially in the stage mob days). I’ve chosen not to publicly comment on the legal case, but I won’t rewrite my history or pretend those experiences didn’t shape me. It was a civil lawsuit, not a criminal one — that’s a fact, not a defense. I’m allowed to say his name and acknowledge my past without being shamed for it. Keep the two separate — because they are.
Also — in case you didn’t catch the full-circle irony — I’m writing all this on a blog domain that was reserved as a joke. The domain name idea came from someone I trusted who used to say “cool story bro” anytime I brought up something that he didn’t care about. It was his way of brushing me off — and eventually, he did a lot worse than that. He lied. Took money. Disappeared. Never made it right.
So yeah — it’s kind of poetic that this is now my blog. My platform. My voice. And my first real post? About power, silence, and calling things what they are? Yeah. That tracks. Makes me smirk a little.
To Close It Out
This blog started with personal frustration but it’s become something bigger. It’s a place where I can connect the dots between what I’ve studied, what I’ve lived, and what I know is happening all around us. It’s about media. Communications. Power. Memory. Accountability.
It’s about saying the quiet parts out loud — and not letting the people who benefit from silence keep rewriting the story. Whether I’m talking about music, marketing, or someone who just never made things right — this is me putting it all out there. Messy. Clear. Human. Honest.
Be weird. Be loud. Be the anomaly. And shut it the fuck down. ✌️
