Soc. 118 Media, Culture & Society Chapter Five: Media and Ideology

OVERVIEW What is ideology? Ideology as normalization Analyzing TV commercials Theoretical roots of ideology Modern ideology and hegemony Advertising and consumer culture History of consumerism Modern advertising Case study Women’s magazines Video presentation: “Killing Us Softly 3” Other cases News (elites and insiders, economic news) Film (the military and masculinity) TV (the American family)

Media and Ideology Media representations of the social world Next level of analysis Focus on content Examining underlying messages Whose interests do they serve? What values do they reflect? Focus on the stories they tell Not on effects of such stories Broader system of meaning in the media Patterns of messages Specific content part of something larger Connection between media content, culture and society How ideas are embedded in media How messages are constructed Change and challenges in content

What is Ideology? A set of beliefs that explains and justifies some social arrangements Often containing religious, moral, political and other ideas Distorts and misrepresents reality Related to belief system, world view or values Basic ways in which the world or reality is defined Debates about the acceptability of messages Because of the lessons they teach us about the social world Cultural contests about meaning are waged in media “Culture wars” Some ideas will have the advantage while others will be marginalized Debate about whether the media promote the “dominant ideology” Worldview of the powerful Or whether the media includes contradictory messages Contain the dominant ideology while partially challenging it

Ideology as Normalization Social norms are articulated in the media Interactions, roles, social institutions Media texts imply what is normal and deviant Cumulative effect through sheer repetition Presents narrow range of behaviors and lifestyles Marginalizing or neglecting others Media normalizes some social relations and makes others unacceptable Evident in what is presented as well as excluded

Super Bowl 2008 Analyzing TV Commercials

Theoretical Roots of Ideology Conflict theory (Marxism) Classical sociological theory (19 th century) Focus on power relations in society Social stratification  social inequality Domination  subordination  exploitation Ruling class imposes their world view (ideology) Representing their interests Powerful mechanism of social control Dominants rule by indoctrination Disseminating world view that only pretends to describe universal experience But serves only the particular interest of rulers “False consciousness” When subordinates accept ruling ideology “Buying into” ideas The opposite of "revolutionary thinking“ Needed for social change Ideology involves mystification, veiling, subtlety Example of ideology and the “American Dream”

Hegemony Antonio Gramsci (Italian Marxist 1920s-30s) Ruling groups can maintain power through force or consent Consent must be won Power exercised through “cultural leadership” People generally accept the current ideas Operates at the level of common sense Assumptions, taken-for- granted notions “What’s natural,” “everybody knows,” “the way things are” We don't critically evaluate these ideas and assumptions Seems uncontested Ideas must be continually restated and reinforced Because they often conflict with real life Hegemony can never be complete or final Struggle for definition Ideas can be challenged Attempts to undermine seen as threatening Ideas revised or retained

Advertising and Consumer Culture History of consumerism American capitalists in 1900s Mass production Seek to make business profitable Advertising used to shape consciousness More about creating buyers than selling products Stimulating new needs and habits Aimed at immigrants and urbanites Consumption as “great equalizer” Concept of the “good life” Buying = participating in democracy Consumption = citizenship Culture of consumerism Normalizes upper-middle class values Acquiring wealth and status Consumption as a virtue and freedom Elevates the individual over the collective Buying and selling as the primary interaction/relationship Advertising tells us what the dream Lifestyle all should pursue Realized through the power of purchase Whether or not we have the means

Modern Advertising What stories do ads tell us about ourselves and society? One level is about products Informational One level is about lifestyles, states of mind Emotional Case Study: Women’s Magazines Gender-specific marketing Consumption category with special needs Woman = knowing what to buy, consuming certain products Ads promoting consumer lifestyle make up bulk of magazines Editorial content also contains “covert advertising” Social problems redefined as personal problems Beauty, sexuality, success, skills and social status can be purchased

Video Presentation

Media and Ideology: Other Case Studies News media Elites and Insiders Economic News Film The Military and Masculinity Back to Vietnam films TV The American Family