Mass Media and Ideology

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Mass Media and Ideology
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IDEOLOGYSTARTER

How we as individuals understand the world in
which we live. This understanding involves an
interaction between our individual psychology and
the social structures that surround us. ...media
awareness
The knowledge or beliefs developed by human
societies as part of their cultural adaptation.
University of Oregan
STARTER TASK Decide which one of these you think
is correct and why. Then write down your own
definition of IDEOLOGY. Then create your own
definition
A system of ideas, principles, and values that
characterize the belief system of a community.
Arkarcheology
A set of beliefs and goals of a social or
political group that explain or justify the
group's decisions and behaviour. History
Central
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to explain what ideology is
in the media.
Students will be able to outline how influential
ideology is within the media to the general
public.
Students will be able to use sociological theory
to discuss how and why ideologies are transmitted
through mass media.
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THE IDEOLOGIES OF DIFFERENT GROUPS

• An ideology is a set of beliefs about the world.
• Virtually any belief system is described with a
  word ending in -ism or -ity
• e.g. Christianity, Marxism.
• The word is usually used to describe the beliefs
  of a powerful and dominant sector of society.

TASK Make a list of all of the ideologies that
you can think of.
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THE IDEOLOGIES OF DIFFERENT GROUPS
OR...Is it because we have bought into the
IDEOLOGY of it?
Is it because the person in power s TELLING us to
do it?
TASK In pairs read through the ideology of
Hitler then answer the following It is evident
that we can be controlled through the use of
power. An authority figure will tell us what to
do and we obey. Why do you think this is?
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IDEOLOGY TRANSMISSION
We can be more easily influenced and controlled
through the use of ideology than through direct
imposition of power. If we believe something to
be correct and just we are capable of almost any
act of violence in defence of our beliefs.
TASK List some ways in which ideologies are
transmitted to the general public.
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THE IDEOLOGIES OF DIFFERENT GROUPS
One of the best ways of passing on ideas is
through the use of the media propaganda and
advertising are examples of this in daily action.
Most media productions offer us a set of values,
consciously or unconsciously that we can accept
or reject.
An ideologue is someone who pushes an ideology in
their work It is essential that you have some
knowledge of and can refer to such people in your
essays.
Think-Pair Share Task What kind of ideology does
this advert transmit. Write a list so you can
feedback your ideas.
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WALT DISNEY THE IDEOLOGUE
Walt Disney is seen as an ideologue. He portrays
an image of family and American values that many
find too conservative and Right-wing for their
taste.
Did anything you come up with feature in this
clip?
TASK Id like you to watch this part of a Disney
film and note down any features of ideology that
may be included within it, there are some clues
on the board. Then discuss in your groups and
feedback.
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PLENARY-Just a Minute

• All of you ask yourselves the question
• What if you werent allowed to know what weve
  learnt today?
• One of you will start to speak about the
  topic covered and your opinion on it for just one
  minute!

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STARTER Whats being said?

• Listen to the lyrics.
• What might The Temptations be singing about?
  What ideology may be being sung about?

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IDEOLOGY AND MASS MEDIA Why are some people
worried?
MARXISTS have a theory.......
TASK Read through your Marxist viewpoint handout
and make a mind map of the MOST RELEVANT and
INTERESTING points on their view of the
relationship between mass media and ideology.
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MARXISM AND THE IDEOLOGY OF THE MEDIA

• The concern with the ideology of the media that
  is expressed by many, especially Marxist
  theoreticians such as Greg Philo and the Glasgow
  Media group is that
• Do you agree that . . . the effect of the media
  is one of long term exposure to certain
  perspectives that they are accepted without
  question and create an unquestioned reality for
  observers? Why/ why not? Explain yourself.
• What is the effect of the media creating a moral
  climate in which certain views and perspectives
  are acceptable (sexism and racism in the 1960s?)
  and unquestioned (inequality and anti-disability
  in the 1990s?) on people in society?
• Globalization is a case in point, where
  developing countries receive a moral philosophy
  from Western media productions which is at
  variance with the belief and religion of the
  country which views the productions. Islamic
  countries will be exposed to a view of the role
  of women in US culture which they would deem
  inappropriate. This could be two-edged for that
  society.

TASK I want you to answer the questions above in
your own paragraph.
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IDEOLOGY AND PROPEGANDA
Propaganda is different from ideology in that it
uses deliberate techniques of persuasion to
create and influence belief. The propagandist
works on the basis of developing and changing
behaviours and political ideals by taking as a
starting point already commonly held beliefs.
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PROPEGANDA
In time of war, all governments use propaganda
they target their own people as well as the enemy
for propaganda.
What am I showing you?
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PROPEGANDA
Think about war - There is a question to which
the reality of war can be shaped to make it
acceptable and possible. If people really
understood the impact of war, would they welcome
it so enthusiastically? Why? Most images of war
are enthusiastically censored by the government
so that people are shielded from the worst of
what actually happens.
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PLENARY
IDEOLOGY could be explained as A system of
ideas, principles, and values that characterize
the belief system of a community.
T
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PLENARY
People did what Hitler told them to do because he
was the person in power and told them to do it
rather than them buying into the ideology of what
he was saying.
F
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PLENARY
One of the best ways of passing on ideology is
through the use of the media propaganda and
advertising are examples of this in daily action.
T
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PLENARY
An ideologue is someone who rules a country
F
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PLENARY
Walt Disney is seen as an ideologue who conveyed
communist type views to the world through his
films.
F
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PLENARY
Walt Disney is seen as an ideologue who conveyed
communist type views to the world through his
films.
F
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PLENARY
The classic Marxist theory approach to the media
is fixed on the basic assumption that the media
are inextricably linked to the economic base of
society (capitalism).
T
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PLENARY
From the Marxist viewpoint The media reinforces
the ideological messages of those in power. The
views of this group are given a privileged
position over other viewpoints.
T
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PLENARY
Propaganda is the same as ideology in that it
uses subtle messages to create and influence
belief.
F