MEDIA - What is Manipulative / Instrumental Marxism and their View on the Media? Flashcards
TRUE OR FALSE: Manipulative and Instrumental Marxism are DIFFERENT!
FALSE: Manipulative and Instrumental Marxism are the SAME!
What are the 2 things that Manipulative / Instrumental Marxism does? HINT: I and C
INFLUENCE and CONTROL!
Explain what Manipulative / Instrumental Marxism does!
They control and influence someone’s view - They do what they want by force and they control and influence people!
What is the definition of Dominant Ideology?
A set of ideas about society that are used to justify a particular set of interests.
What is the definition of Preferred Reading?
When the audience responds to the ideas in the way the media producer wants them to.
What sociologist argues: ‘Media owners manipulative what is produced to justify class inequality. They discourage / oppose criticisms of the capitalist system’?
Miliband!
(MILIBAND) What does Miliband argue regarding the control of media moguls and their influence and also describe what the ‘preferred or dominant reading’ in society creates?
He argues that media moguls control, manipulate and promote the dominant ideology. He says that preferred or dominant reading tries to create a general consensus of agreement. The belief in meritocratic society and that if people are failing or are unhappy, it is because they have not worked hard enough!
(MILIBAND) What does MIliband say happens to people who discredit the media?
They say that anyone who opposes the media, they are seem as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘extreme’; they are discredited by the media moguls!
(MILIBAND) What 2 means does Miliband say that the media has in society?
- Create and complete or distort views
- Ignore, attack and dismiss anything that threatens the dominant ideology and their narrative
(MILIBAND) TRUE OR FALSE: Miliband says that journalists have a LOT of CHOICE, and they DO NOT have to CONFORM TO the OWNERS VIEWS’.
FALSE = Miliband says that journalists have a NO CHOICE, and they DO have to CONFORM TO the OWNERS VIEWS’ –> Otherwise they risk being fired!
(MILIBAND) Why does the media create a Climate of Conformity in society?
He says that the media creates this climate, as it justifies the rule of the rich and powerful (the bourgeoisie) and reitterates the false class consciousness!
(MILIBAND) Give a positive presentation of the wealthy in society!
The Royal Family!
(MILIBAND) Explain what happened in regards to Julian Assange, the owner of Wiki Leaks.
He challenged the ideology by sharing footage of 18 civilians in a airstrike in Baghdad by US soldiers and information about civilians being killed by Iraqi forces and the torture of criminals → He has been pursued, discredited, targeted and jailed by media moguls.
(MILIBAND) Explain what happened in regards to Berlusconi, in terms of him being able to manipulate the media!
He has a lot of control in Italy, including owning 3 TV stations (40% of the entire Italian audience - Mediaset Empire; overall, he holds an influence around 90% of the national audience and advertising shares); net worth of $7.1 billion, and he used his media to get himself elected as President → He used the media to control and manipulate to get his own way.
(MILIBAND) Explain the example of Rupert Murdoch in 2003, in regards the manipulating and producing a Climate of Conformity!
Seaton and Curran go against the PLURALIST perspective and say that media owners INFLUENCE content:
- His newspapers were arguing for a war in Iraq
- All his newspaper editors around the world backed him
- He admitted in 2007 that he had ‘hands on economically and editorially’ - He paid editors and influenced them on what to write (ILLEGAL)
The media creates a climate of conformity amongst the mass of the population, which justified the rule of the rich and powerful (the bourgeoisie).
What 2 sociologists say that ‘Media representations of ethnic minorities aim to distract and divide the working class’?
Castles and Kosack!
(CASTLES AND KOSACK) What do they say in terms of the use of the media to DIVIDE the working-class and other groups, such as ethnic-minorities in society?
They say that the ruling class can MANIPULATE the media to DIVIDE the WORKING-CLASS –> They target the proletariat and put them against the proletariat = This means that if they fight each other, they do not fight those in power!
(CASTLES AND KOSACK) What do Castles and Kosack say the main role of the media is? HINT: DISTRACTION!
The media DISTRACTS the working-class from the real cause of inequality, which is the exploitative capitalist system itself!
It suits the capitalist system to ensure that the white, working-class see ethnic minorities as a ‘threat’, as seen with the use of the headlines ‘Stop the Boats’!
(CASTLES AND KOSACK) Give some examples of TV Programmes that are used to distract people in the media. HINT: Give as many examples as you can; there are 4 examples here!
- Jeremy Kyle
- Benefits Street
- Crime programmes that focus on ethnic-minority crime –> This creates fear for white, working-class people and creates a distorted view on who commits crime
- Rich House, Poor House
(CASTLES AND KOSACK) What percentages of respondents share deep concerns about the impact of the media’s portrayal of minorities?
Around 78% (80%) of respondents –> This shows that media coverage of ethnic minority Britons ‘promotes racism’ within the country!
(CASTLES AND KOSACK) Give an example of a headline recently used in British newspapers that alienates ethnic-minority people and villianises them!
‘Stop and the Boats’ and headlines in papers like The Sun and broadsheets!
Society blames the immigrants themselves and not spending cuts or other issues! How well does the media portray both refugee immigrants and illegal immigrants; they present illegal immigrants as being a large issue!
(CASTLES AND KOSACK) Who is Alexandra Bell and explain what she does? HINT: Re-writing titles of newspapers
She is a journalist who re-writes titles of the New York Times in order to get rid of subliminal messaging and highlight the way that different words are used to speak about people of different races → Negative connotations and words for ethnic minorities, but positive connotations and words for white, middle-class people → Restorative justice!
EG: The New York Times put white supremacist rallies and violence as a side-piece and not a main front page issue → They were not giving space to issues and problem regarding white offenders! Indictment of the readers → Bell has a different vantage point because she of her characteristics and background (such as her being gay and also black; this is opposite to the usual Marxist perspective from old, straight, white men).
What ‘Frankfurt School of Thought’ Sociologist investigates the working-class being controlled by ‘Bread and Circuses’ and the idea that the media is entertainment to keep them docile?
Marcuse
(MARCUSE) Explain the ‘Bread’ and ‘Circuses’ Analogy!
We need bread to keep us alive (the staple) and we need circuses to keep us distracted (entertainment)!
(MARCUSE) Explain how entertainment (the ‘circuses’) provides a ‘candy-floss culture’!
The media gives us superficial entertainment (‘candy-floss culture’) which is used to satisfy populations so they are distracted and diverted from the real issues in society, such as the causes of poverty; these keep people happy whilst also being docile and ignorant.
(MARCUSE) Give a summary of what he says that the media (entertainment) does to the working-class! HINT: Links to Bowles and Gintis and the Correspondence Principle!
Media (entertainment) to keep the working-class docile!
(MARCUSE) Linking to Miliband’s Study, what happens to people who offer ‘alternative’ views that oppose the mainstream (middle and upper-class) hegemonic views? HINT: Discredited!
The media ensures that members in society only get a narrow range of ‘approved’ views and knowledge; ‘alternative’ and critical points are rarely heard and they are often dismissed or discredited!
(MARCUSE) What examples of TV programmes can you give in regards to keeping the working-class ‘docile’? HINT: Name as many as you can; there are 4 here!
- I’m A Celebrity
- Love Island
- Made in Chelsea
- Jeremy Kyle
What 2 sociologists argue that: “The government are not interested in regulating the media as they need their support”?
Tunstall and Palmer!
(TUNSTALL AND PALMER) What do they argue regarding the government’s control - Do they argue that it has DECREASED or INCREASED?
They argue that governments are NO LONGER INTERESTED IN CONTROLLING the activities of media owners because the CLASS INTERESTS OF MEDIA OWNERS and the POLITICAL ELITE OFTEN OVERLAP –> Their control has DECREASED BECAUSE their IDEOLOGIES OFTEN OVERLAP and are SIMILAR!
(TUNSTALL AND PALMER) What are ‘Regulatory Favours’?
They say that ‘regulatory favours’ are the norm = These are newspapers that are owned by a media conglomerate that directly support a government OR directly criticise their policy!
(TUNSTALL AND PALMER) Why do Media Conglomerates often partake in ‘Regulatory Favours’?
They often partake in these because the government in power has either supported them by not enforcing and strengthening media regulation OR they criticise the government in hope that they will abolish media regulation –> That’s why they are called ‘Regulatory FAVOURS’!
(TUNSTALL AND PALMER) Give some examples of the government no longing being interested in regulating the media, due to the support they get from media conglomerates! HINT: Give as many examples as you can; there are 3 here!
- Thatcher allowed Rupert Murdoch to purchase over the allowed amount of industry in one area; she allowed him to buy the Sunday Times and the Times and expand his empire into investing in TV with B SKY B!
- The Sun backing Blair in the 1997 Election –> Blair ‘repaid’ Murdoch by telling him about the Iraq War invasion in 2003 the night before the war started!
- The Sun backing David Cameron in 2010 - They did not stay loyal to one party; this is because Cameron would reduce media regulation!
(TUNSTALL AND PALMER) Explain what the Leveson Inquiry in 2012 was!
This Inquiry uncovered a range of links between media owners and governments and phone hacking! Media support was given to political parties in return for policies in favour of owners.
This happened to people like Hugh Grant and other actors / people!
What did Curran say regarding the Leveson Inquiry (2012)?
They said that there have not been changes in the media since the Inquiry was made!
How many meetings happened between Tory Cabinet MPs and News Corp between May 2010 and June 2011?
64 (around 70) Meetings!
What are the 5 Criticisms of the Manipulative / Instrumental Marxist Approach? HINT: Some are from the Pluralist perspective!
- Owners are more concerned with PROFITS. Therefore, they give the audience what they want so they sell more papers - it has nothing to do with ideology → PLURALIST APPROACH!
- Ownership is REGULATED, so dominance of one ideology or newspaper company is difficult. HOWEVER → Think about Thatcher changing the law so that Murdoch could own more newspaper companies → PLURALIST APPROACH!
- The Manipulative / Instrumentalist Approach is TOO DETERMINISTIC - Not all audiences are passive. Gramsci - They state that most people experience ‘dual consciousness’; people know they are being exploited, but they just do not do anything about it. People know that the media is sending them specific and targeted messages, but they do not do anything about it!
- Instrumental Marxists are ECONOMIC REDUCTIONISTS - They are too concerned with class inequalities and reduce everything down to being a problem with capitalism → Feminists say that they ignore the role of patriarchy. They also ignore other factors, such as age, ethnicity etc!
- Most evidence of conspiracy is anecdotal and does not actually have any research - It is based on a feeling without any proof!
What are 2 Mnemonics to remember for the Criticisms of the Manipulative / Instrumental Approach?
CAP RAD DUDE:
C = Class / Capitalism
A = Anecdotal
P = Profits
R = Regulated
A = Anecdotal
D = Deterministic
D = Deterministic
U = IGNORE
D = Deterministic
E = Economic Reductionalists
CARPE Diem:
C = Class / Capitalism
A = Anecdotal
R = Regulated
P = Profits
E = Economic Reductionalists
D = Deterministic
