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)!
