Blog #4

Marxism in media is one of the most powerful and suggestive ways available to the media analyst for analyzing society and its institutions. Concepts such as ideology, alienation, materialism, false consciousness, class conflict, and hegemony are the fundamental principles of Marxism that can be applied to media and can help viewers understand the ways media functions and ways of manipulation. When critiquing the media through a Marxist lens, think about the message of what the media is trying to send its audience. Sometimes the message is hidden and that’s why using the Marxist lens to analyze the media helps viewers see the media in a new perspective.

            Ideology means ruling groups can in their thinking become so intensively interest-bound to a situation that they are simply no longer able to see certain facts which would undermine their sense of domination. Ideologies presented to us every day and so they appear natural, seem like common sense, and therefore are often invisible. Ideologies create ideas in our minds and makes it seem like they are our own ideas but they are not. They are created by the ruling class and are used to generate false consciousness in the masses.

            Materialism refers to a conception of history and the way society organizes itself. Everything is shaped ultimately by the economic system of a society, which, in subtle ways, affects the ideas individuals have.

            Alienation suggests separation and distance. It’s a stranger to the society who has no connections with others. In this context, it means that people who live in a state of alienation suffer from false consciousness – a consciousness that takes the form of the ideology that dominates their thinking. People can become separated from their work, friends, family, and from themselves because of false consciousness from the media.  

False Consciousness refers to how the mass media and popular culture are centrally important in the spread of false consciousness, in leading people to believe that “whatever is, is right.” Mass media and popular culture is the link between the institutions of society and individual consciousness.

            Class conflict refers to the point that for Marxists, class exists, whether the media tries to cover it up or not. In order to keep the classes below the highest class happy, mass media and popular culture must persuade the lower classes that everything is alright.

            Hegemony means domination or rule by one state or nation over another. Rule is based on overt power and, at times, on coercion, but hegemony is subtler and more universal. It’s a complicated intermeshing of political, social, and cultural forces. Hegemony exceeds two other concepts: culture, which is how we shape our lives, and ideology, which expresses and is a projection of specific class interests. Hegemony is what might be described as “that which goes without saying.”