Who we are
Media and Consolidation Research and Organization Lab
A scholarly community, research lab, and online resource about media ownership for instructors, students, journalists, regulators, and citizens. We are located at the Communication department at the University of California San Diego.
The issue
Media production is increasingly consolidated and homogenized
Two to four corporations dominate in each sector, limiting the diversity and democratic potential of cultural production. Yet, access to data that reveals this state of affairs is limited—safeguarded by institutions that use various means to hamper public awareness.
Our mission
Facilitate awareness with access to critical data
MACRO Lab aims to provide accessible, critical materials and data about media consolidation, financialization, and operations. We aim to create a space for envisioning an alternative media system that is more just, equitable, and democratically accountable.
Our goal
Cultivate public demand for a more democratic media system
As a member of UCSD’s Democracy Lab, we share its core values. By expanding knowledge about our media environment and promoting public participation in discourse around media and policy, we hope to foster the broad and sustained civic engagement fundamental to our ability to build a more democratic media system.
Our approach
To privilege the analysis of
Diversity
Bringing attention to the underlying structures that create a lack of diversity in media
History
Fostering a historical and empirical understanding of media production, circulation, and ownership
Complexity
Unraveling the intricacies of an increasingly complex media system resistant to transparency
Our Team
Principal Investigators
Andrew deWaard
Andrew is an associate professor at UCSD, researching film, television, and popular music. He is the author of Derivative Media: How Wall Street Devours Culture(UC Press, 2024) and the co-author of The Cinema of Steven Soderbergh (Columbia University Press/Wallflower, 2013).
Shawna Kidman
Shawna is an associate professor at UCSD, who teaches courses in media studies. She is the author of Comic Books Incorporated (2019, UC Press), a history of the U.S. comic book industry and its convergence with Hollywood. She is currently writing about the movie theater business and its many struggles.
Design and Development
Alyssa Le
Alyssa is a third-year Cognitive Science student at UCSD. She is the developer of the MACRO Lab website.
Bryan Min
Bryan is a PhD student in Cognitive Science at UCSD. He is the original developer of the MACRO Lab website.
Emily Zhou
Emily is a graduate of UCSD with majors in Communication and Psychology. She is the original designer of the MACRO Lab website.
James Schwartz
James is a freelance Full Stack Developer with a background in marketing and sales. He helped develop and deploy the MACRO Lab site.
Taolan Jiaohaer
Jiaohaer is a graduate of UCSD with a major in Computational Social Science. She is a researcher and developer at MACRO Lab
Kelly Chen
Kelly Chen is a PhD candidate in communication and critical gender studies at UCSD.
UC Faculty Collaborators
Jennifer Holt
(UC Santa Barbara)
Lisa Parks
(UC Santa Barbara)
Allison Perlman
(UC Irvine)
Amy Skjerseth
(UC Riverside)
Former Researchers
Ashley Bui
Ashley is a graduate of the Communication program at UCSD and worked as a research associate for the MACRO Lab.
Selena Do
Selena is a graduate of the Communication program at UCSD and worked as a research associate for the MACRO Lab.
Zara Irshad
Zara is a graduate of the Communication program at UCSD and worked as a research associate for the MACRO Lab.
Ho-Hsin Wang
Ho-Hsin is a graduate of the Communication program at UCSD and worked as a research associate for the MACRO Lab.
Kelly Bae
Kelly is a graduate of the Communication program at UCSD and worked as a research associate for the MACRO Lab.