Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 284 views

    Media and Ideology

    Uploaded by

    Jela Villegas
    The word “ ideology” is associated with rigid political beliefs or with social movements espousing radical ideas about reform and revolution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved

    Media and Ideology

    Uploaded by

    Jela Villegas
    284 views16 pages
    The word “ ideology” is associated with rigid political beliefs or with social movements espousing radical ideas about reform and revolution.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The word “ ideology” is associated with rigid political beliefs or with social movements espousing radical ideas about reform and revolution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    284 views16 pages

    Media and Ideology

    Uploaded by

    Jela Villegas
    The word “ ideology” is associated with rigid political beliefs or with social movements espousing radical ideas about reform and revolution.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    of 16

    MEDIA

    AND
    IDEOLOGY
    By: Jela D. Villegas
    Gylle Martinez
    IDEOLOGY
    The word “ ideology” is associated with
    rigid political beliefs or with social
    movements espousing radical ideas
    about reform and revolution.
    Ideological State Apparatus
    Gramsci and Althusser negated Marx’s
    view that social and political institutions
    including the state and their interactions, as
    well as the ideas, values, and beliefs of a
    society, are solely determined by the
    economic structures and activities of society.
    They both argue that the superstructure of the
    society of society enjoys a degree of autonomy from its
    economic base and the relationship between ideas and
    economic and class interest is not always linear.
    The cultural institutions like media, religion, and cultural
    system, and structures in charge of imparting ideology,
    operate independent of the economic structure and this is
    the reason they enjoy popular acceptance.
    Althusser proceeded further by theorizing
    how the media and other ideological state
    apparatuses work to reproduce the dominant
    ideology. He was interested in understanding the
    means by which the ruling class ruled as well as
    how the dominant ideology shaped people’s
    perceptions of the world.
    The ideological state apparatus
    Previously labeled a superstructure in classical
    Marxist theory, is now the ideological state apparatus.
    The superstructure arises from the infrastructure
    and consists of culture and ideology. The following
    examples reflect the concept of the superstructure in
    further detail:
    • The culture includes the laws, politics, art, etc.
    • Ideology includes the world views, values, and
    beliefs
    REPRESSIVE STATE APPARATUSES

    The ruling class uses the repressive state apparatuses (RSA)


    to dominate the working class. The basic, social function of the
    RSA (government, courts, police and armed forces, etc.) is timely
    intervention to politics in favour of the interests of the ruling class,
    by repressing the subordinate social classes as required, either by
    violent or non-violent coercive means. The ruling class controls the
    RSA, because they also control the powers of the state (political,
    legislative, armed)
    The differences between the RSA and the ISA are:
    • The repressive state apparatus (RSA) functions as a unified entity
    (an institution), unlike the ideological state apparatus (ISA), which
    is diverse in nature and plural in function. What unites the disparate
    ISA however is their ultimate control by the ruling ideology.
    • The apparatuses of the state, repressive and ideological, each
    perform the double functions of violence and ideology. A state
    apparatus cannot be exclusively repressive or exclusively
    ideological.
     MEDIA AS PURVEYOR OF DOMINANT
    IDEOLOGY
    Today, there seems to be debate: there are those
    who argue that media promote the interest of the ruling
    class, the most powerful segments of society, thereby
    carrying the dominant ideology; on the other hand,
    there are those assert that media texts can also contain
    the messages that challenge existing worldviews other
    than that of the powerful classes. It is no matter of the
    media texts were created.
    Marxist philosophy, the term dominant
    ideology denotes the attitudes, beliefs, values, and morals
    shared by the majority of the people in a given society. As
    a mechanism of social control, the dominant
    ideology frames how the majority of the population thinks
    about the nature of society, their place in society, and their
    connection to a social class.
    IDEOLOGY IN STEREOTYPING

    Stereotyping is an overarching belief about the


    characteristics of a certain group in society.
    It was a journalist in the United States, Walter
    Lippman, who first used thew term “stereotype” in
    1922. He referred to stereotype as “pictures in our
    heads” which we use to organize our perceptions of
    the world and those people in our world.
    Stereotype are forms of characterization that
    are also memorable and widely patronized by many.
    Some stereotypes are attacked because they do not
    really convey the glaring realities faced by a particular
    group of people.
    However, stereotypes are not always negative. In
    fact, some are rather positive representations worthy of
    emulation (e.g., the stereotype that Ilokanos are really
    hardworking and diligent people or the notion that nerds
    are naturally studios and diligent with their studies.)
    However, current practices point us to the reality that
    more often than not, the media help perpetuate the
    ascription of negative traits because it generates drama,
    comedy, or simply spectacle.
    Stereotyping can become too rigid and constraining,
    limiting the roles, responsibilities, and potentials
    individuals can play in their everyday lives.

    You might also like