Ch 5 Synopsis

According to Chapter Five of Understanding The Media, media cannot be fully understood unless the concept of ideology is understood. Ideology is defined as “the ideas that legitimize the power of a dominant social group or class.” (pg 157) As media has become more globalized over the years, this concept has grown in importance. Mass media allows for ideologies to be produced and circulated with ease, and when put on a global scale, it becomes an unstoppable force. In addition, ideology is an important aspect of social theory. The relationship between the audience’s social beliefs and the media is studies in ideological and discursive analysis. As ideology has been studied over the years, its definition has evolved.
The earliest definitions of ideology were called the closed and materialistic definitions of ideology. These definitions were most notably put to use by Karl Marx and later, the Frankfurt School. According to Marx, the ruling classes of capitalist societies controlled both the means of material production and the production of ideas. (pg 163) The Frankfurt School applied Marx’s understanding and applied to the mass media of the 20th Century, exploring propaganda in mass media.
The open definitions of ideology were developed by Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci. Althusser’s ideological state apparatus sought to prove that the media was reproducing ideology to represent capitalism in a natural and desirable way. Gramsci developed the concept of hegemony and how it is used by those with the power and means to create a consensus in society. Gramsci claims that mass media is the key source of hegemonic ideology.
Meanwhile, John Thompson’s focus is on dominant ideology, Dominant ideology by definition means that “a wider range of ideologies potentially exist within media content.” (pg 177). Thompson believed that ideological analysis is a vital part of media and communication studies. He also believes that there are three key dimensions of the communication process that should be focused on: production, content, and reception. We cannot fully understand communication if we understand all three aspects.
There are many ways to try to understand the media and apply it to our lives. Sometimes media corporations and producers take it upon themselves to try to figure out what the desired audience wants. However, this is dangerous as it creates a preferred and dominant social group. When this happens, the media is only broadcasting to the “average” person, a person who is created based on what the latest trends would be. If we can better understand the theories of ideology, we can better interpret how the media works.