Hegemony

The Hegemony Debate

The mass media in the UK still seek to promote hegemony and are responsible for injecting passive audiences with dominant ideologies.

Hegemony - how dominant classes are able to keep their power in society. The dominance and population of the dominant classes allow them to easily persuade others to accept their values and norms i.e. the working class.

Karl Marx argued that the bourgeosie (those who own the means of production) that employ the proleteriat (the working class) are being exploited in the media. A number of marxists support these views such as Gramsci and Althusser. In Gramsci’s view, any class that wishes to dominate in modern conditions has to move beyond its own narrow ‘economic-corporate’ interests, to exert intellectual and moral leadership, and to make alliances and compromises with a variety of forces

The word was used by Marxists (Lenin) to show how the proletariats are being exploited in society by the bourgeoisie. Gramsci further analyzed the theory and explained why the 'inevitable' socialist revolution which was predicted by Marxism had not occurred by the early 20th century

Gramsci, a Marxist theorist said that bourgeois cultural values were linked to Christianity. Therefore much of his polemic against hegemonic culture is aimed at religious norms and values. He argued that the working class needed to create a culture of its own so that people do not follow upper class values as they will have their own, this would mean that the upper class values are no longer taken as normal, and would attract the oppressed and intellectual classes to express their own culture and values within the media.

Kunal EEEYYYYEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The Hypodermic Needle Model

The Hypodermic Needle Model says that information within a text is subconsciously passed onto the viewing audience. The audience is influenced by the values and ideologies incorporated within specific text such as upper class ideology and beliefs of the ruling classes. This may not be relevant to the text itself but may have a big influence on the way an audience perceives a text. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers. It assumes that the audience are passive.

People are seen as passive and are seen as having a lot media material "shot" at them. People end up thinking what they are told because there is no other source of information.

The 'Magic Bullet theory' is also useful to mention as the hypodermic needle is seen as a bullet shooting these ideologies into people and giving the audience no chance to think or see anything else as they have no other sources of information to reject what the texts are saying. Both images used to express this theory (a bullet and a needle) suggest a powerful and direct flow of information from the sender to the receiver. Including this in our debate would be good because it can outline the impact of the hypodermic needle theory.


Reception Theory

We could talk about 'preffered reading', which is when the audience agrees with what the text it showing and enjoy it. Also, 'negotiated reading' which is when the audience listens to the ideologies passed over from the text but they construct it to reflect their own interests.

OR

We could talk about the 'oppositional reading' that some viewers feel when consuming a text. It's when the audience don't agree with what is being said or proposed by the text and therefore they reject it.

David Morley - Politics in the living room

Some people within the family may enjoy a text while others may hate it due to their own personal beliefs.

This can also be used to talk about the population as a whole. For example, in the Celebrity big brother 'race row' (2007) when Shilpa Shetty was abused by fellow housemates. Many people complained to Ofcom about it and the majority of those people were Asians as they were the ethnic group being exploited in the text. The Asians stood up against this and rejected the treatment of Shilpa Shetty. However, channel 4 were criticized by various people and companies for not stopping the race row sooner and were then accused of keeping the culprits in the house for better ratings. The higher ratings may suggest how more and more people were rejecting the portrayal and treatment of Asians and were tuning in to see how something as horrific as this could be allowed to be shown.

- Big Brother would be a useful text to mention because it incoporates a variety of people and issues.

Farah

Strcuture of the 'Hagemony Debate'

(1) Naziya (1st speaker) Basic definition (Dominant ideology into audiecnces) Elite into subordinate.

• Introduction needs to be concise and brief (clear)

(2) [Brain]

• For: Effects theory
• Hypodermic Needle theory
• Althusser
• Audience Theory
• Reception Theory

[Against]

• Pluralism
• Equality
• Media Literate

(3) Conclusion

• Sum up main arguments.

[For]

• Marxism: 'Elite'-Bourgeouise.Rule putting ideology into lower class.
• Althusser
• We live in a Capitalist Society, all economical (hire prolatariat workers) they do not realise they are getting exploited.
• 'Culture Industeries' (Adorno) 'DUMBING DOWN'-output as a result see greater audience-due to profit motive.
• Althusser: Ideological State Appratus, dominant of Ruling class through Ideologies such as Religion, Education and Fam)

Hypodermic Needle Theory

• Passive audience (inject ideologies into us)
• Media control: Propaganda (Truimph of the Will)
• Accept what the Media gives them.

Effects theory

• Althusser (2 forms) Domination (police and armed forces)
• Hagemony: Ideological Control

AGAINST

Pluralism

• Audience-Media Literate
• Media Fourth Estate-informing the public (challenge people in power)
• Active Audience -Interpretation of the text.
• Growth of the internet-choice what to watch.
• (Globilsation) diversity: We can choose what we consume.

Two Step Flow

• More active audience (discuss media text with each other)
• Critics of the Newspapers/t.v it is what we consume, or take in as we have a choice.

Pluralism

• DEF: How society as a system of competing groups-none of them predominant.
• Everyone is equal/have their own dominance
• No class distinctions
• rejects Mass culture.
• Forth Estate: close eye on power.abuse.
• Audience seen as being 'Active'.

XxNaziyaXx

Plan over half term...

It was a disaapointment that the following never turned up: Kunal, Farah, Rabiah and Simran! ( but it's ok)

The plan for next week is to hopefully meet at Jublee libary for a short meeting about what's going to happen. The meeting will take place on Tues(19th) for only 1 hour so guys please try and come.

Me and Neema have made a structure for our debate, which we would like to share with you all. We are planning to meet early morning say about 10.00am so we can get it out of the way!

Bad news: Aman has left forever....he has been kicked out from the school, which simply means that we have lost a strong speaker! Alot of work is needed from you all

If you cant make it for anyreason then you can email me: n4ughty_n4214@hotmail.com

Thanks Naziya

Theorists
Marx – He believed that society was split into two classes:
Proletariat - working class who sell their labour
Bourgeoisie - the people that own the production that employs the proletariat
Media producers then produce texts which maintain these social divides. These ideologies are passed down through a variety of ways i.e. television programmes and newspapers. As these are both ways of reaching mass audiences.

Adorno – ‘culture industries’, it states that society controls almost everything including culture. The mass audience is manipulated by society (the ruling class) therefore the audience is less able to criticise what they have been shown as it has been commodified to fit the capitalist system. Accusing the media of ‘dumbing down’, Also link to Frankfurt School

Gramsci – theory of Hegemony, elaborated on the theory by Marx.
He argues that the process is so successful that it becomes ‘common sense’ and these ideologies become taken for granted. So, by maintaining these ideologies in the media, the ruling classes can ensure that they retain hegemonic control.

Althusser – identified the ISA (ideological state apparatuses)
Also stated that they help to maintain the ideologies of the bourgeoisie – who can be seen as the ruling class.
Bourgeoisie ideologies include the legal and political system, education and religion.
ISA’s also act to interpellate an audience – so that they presume that these ideologies are correct.

Neema

First meeting

Simran
Naziya
Farah
Kunal
Neema
Rabiah

Homework for next thursday 14th feb

Kunal, Farah and Neema please research the other side of the debate which is that working class audiences are actually active.

Kunal research generally around the topic
Neema find theorists
Farah find texts which link to this idea

PLEASE put anything information you find up on the blog as soon as you can.....thanks team
Also if you have any queries or problems let me kno on my email address simi_2313@hotmail.com

Simran xxxxx