Ideology: further reading and tasks

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Page 34: The World Of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia And Propaganda

What view of capitalist ideology is presented in the Hunger Games films?

That they control the media and in turn control what the public sees and believes. It expresses how 'president snow' believes in his leadership more than the country's people which may be reflecting current America and Capitalism in general. According to the 'marxist theroy' people always find a way to rebel again and resist power through things such as citizen journalism and social media. Mockingjay expresses how the media can be used for propaganda. 

What do the Hunger Games films suggest about the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs?

The hunger games stresses a huge impact that the media has on our ideological beliefs. This can either be done through how the government and people in power manipulate the media to only portray and hope for a dominant reading and in turn manipulate what the public sees but also how individuals can use the power of the media, from smaller platforms such as social media to rebel against dominant ideologies and express your own alternative ones. 

Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology

What are the four accepted ideological beliefs in western societies highlighted by the article?

• People should put their families first. 
• People should work hard for their money. 
• Women should behave in feminine ways, and look after their appearance.
or,
• Money = Happiness
• Consumer goods = Fulfillment 
• Marriage/Family/Children = Happiness

• Obedience/Work= Fulfillment

3) What does Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggest about power and ideology in society?

Being obedient, consuming, marrying and reproducing, and not questioning authority is a part of our 'natural order.' The idea that we do and believe what the powerful have said. 

4) What does French theorist Louis Althusser suggest about ideology and consumerism?

Ideology is a strong form of material power and dominates how we control. 
1)Repressive state Apparatuses (RSAs) - being controlled by major institutions, which are dominated by the ruling elite. Regulating social behavior repressing through violence, law and fear. 
2) Ideological state Apparatuses (ISAs) - Looser institutions control us through 'common sense' acceptance, social norms. 

Consumerism is promoted by the idea that material wealth will make us happy but this benefits the elite class, manufactures and owners of production. 


5) Do YOU agree with the idea behind They Live - that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media which is run in the interests of the economic elite? These are the big questions of A Level Media!

I do agree with the idea that the people with power are the people who have the most money, in that case agreeing with the concept of the economic elite. Their ideologies and what they wish to convey would openly be accepted by those in power due to the money they have to offer. I also agree with the fact that each media platform has some type of message that isn't so openly perceived by its audience but it forces an individual to take an action without them consciously being aware of why they are doing so, they may think its because of one thing but its actually due to another eg. 'i like it', rather than because 'its what everyone else likes.' I do believe in the fact that most people are unthinkingly controlled by the media however there are a few people who are knowledgeable to understand the deeper aspects of society and our drives which help them resist. Moreover i think upbringing with alternative ideologies eg. religious ones or those families have learnt through experience help an individual oppose to a fair amount of control the economic elite may posses. 

So overall, yes i do believe 99% of the population unthinkingly are controlled but 99% of what the economic elite suggest but there is a 1% that are not. That also means i don't think everyone is controlled by EVERYTHING the economic elite say due to individual differences. 

As for the four main points; 

• Money = Happiness - i somewhat agree but only if money is spent the right way.

• Consumer goods = Fulfilment - i somewhat agree as they give you a sense of achievement but i also diagree as you are never fully fulfilled with just one occurrence. 

• Marriage/Family/Children = Happiness - Fairly, but only if they provide love and support.


• Obedience/Work= Fulfilment - Obedience i disagree with but i agree with work (that you like)

MIGRAIN index

1) Media consumption audit

2) Reading an image: RBK advert analysis & own choice advert analysis

3) Institution: major media institution research and presentation

4) Institution: brand values

5) Institution: CoolBrands research

6) Narrative: narrative theory YouTube clip analysis

7) Audience: psychographics

8) Audience: audience theory blog tasks/questions

9) Audience: audience theory - dependency theory

10) Representation: clip analysis - dominant and alternative representations

11) Representation theory: 500 word analysis on blog

12) Representation: Media Magazine articles and questions

13) Ideology: BBQ QT analysis and binary opposition

14) Ideology: Media Magazine reading 

Blog task: binary oppositions and ideology

1) Watch this clip from BBC Question Time with Russell Brand and Nigel Farage. The BBC deliberately placed the two against each other and the episode resulted in far more people watching and tweeting than usual.

• What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching this clip?
• Rich and Poor
• Upper and Lowerclass
• Russell Brant and Nigel Farage
• Over populated and not populated

What ideologies are on display in this clip?

• That our society has problems however one believe the problem is corruption and the other believes its immigration and over population.
• Largest corporations and rich people are corrupt and the other opposes
• The other believes the scale of immigration is way too large and needs to be controlled.

Embed the video into your blog (as above) and answer these two questions in full paragraphs.

Ideology and your own choice of clip

2) Now do the same activity for a clip of your choice. Embed the YouTube video in your blog and answer the questions in detail:




What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching your clip?

• Hero vs Villain
• Good vs Bad
• Sky vs Ground 
• 'Fly' vs Fall
• Win vs Lose
• Safe vs Danger 
• Special vs Normal 

are examples of a few. 

What ideologies are on display in your clip?

• That the Hero always saves the girl and the public
• There is always a fight between good and evil / the hero and the villian 
• The idea that normal people are seemly powerless against the more famous and special. 
• These are all dominant ideologies. 

Year 12 cover work: Representation

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The "perfect 14" documentary challenges the ideas of foreseen 'beauty.' It looks at how the female gaze affects women by looking at other women, as males aren't the only viewer in the case of the female gaze. It also compares the concept to Medusa expressing how the gaze can cause negative reactions. 

The 'female gaze' differs from the 'Male gaze' as it expresses how women may 'consume and decode' the female representation, and how this can negatively impact women consuming that media. It also highlighted that Mulvey's theory is to complacent on the idea that the 'spectator' will only be men over emphasising heterosexuality.

I think that the way that women are represented in advertising is extremely unrealistic and is probably due to the male audience being targeted, through advertising, more frequently than women. Moreover advertising and marketing firms are aware that women will perceive and react to watching these other women on TV making it memorable, despite a negative/positive reaction, which in the end is all advertising sets out to achieve. 

The reason media doesn't feature size 14 women, may be, that they set out to make brands seem elite and if not so they aim to raise awareness even though it may evoke the popular argument that it isn't the average portrayal of women, using controversy as a way of marketing too?



The film seems to be trying to achieve  a much more appropriate, realistic representation of the body size of women, aiming to prevent discrimination taking place on the basic of how women weigh and look. It is promoting a much healthier representation of women aiming to make women less cautious and more confident of themselves, changing the narrow image society has on how much a 'beautiful' lady should weight and look. 

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Summery;

• Introduction

Expresses how the media influences how we perceive the world and ourselves. Highlighting how the media influences how we view a particular object through re-representation by communicating a particular image/idea. We perceive certain objects in the view of the advertiser/marketer. However representation is always 'filtered through someone's point of view' where they add their particular meanings and values, these are ideologies.

• Representations and the mass media

The original person has now got less and less control over how they may be representing themselves. There are 'gatekeepers' at each given stage of the 'representation process' and at these stages the was the image is represented may be manipulated on the basis of the story type, news agenda etc. 

• The how, who and why of representation

When we consider representation we must remember who creates them and why. This is done by considering the needs of the target audience, genre codes, narrative and institutional remit. Moreover the choices made and the ones rejected also add to the overall representation and ideologies created by various elements. When these values and ideologies are represented they become natural thought 'naturalisation' which covers up the ideology from the view of the audience. This therefore means that 'silencing of differences' may take place as you don't question something that appears natural. (Barthes)

• Another approach to ideology - the work of Stuart Hall

The 'encoding/decoding model' challenges the idea how messages from the media are produced and consumed. It suggests that audience don't have a passive response but much rather use their own culture and experience in order to create their own interpretation of the text. Meaning that intended messages may not be accepted; it may be rejected through oppositional position or influences by negotiated position. 

• Representations and new media

New media allows audiences to create their own representation more now than in the past. Self-representation takes place on things like Instagram as we create an idea of ourselves and portray it to our followers/friends. We make choices to create certain controlled constructions to communicate what we wish to the world, this can be from our 'personal identities' and the range of these identifies change depending on the context. The self-representation means that minority groups can represent themselves instead of mainstream media creating stereotypes.

• An example - representing national identity in old and new media

In 2014, the Sun created its own representation of 'Englishness' eg. with the queen and Sunday roast dinner however social media allowed many people to voice rejection of the message. They were therefore able to distance themselves from having 'similar' values as the newspaper. This therefore means now a diversity of representation is on offer. 

I think i'm vary aware of how i represent myself on social media, however i do have many different media platforms where i express myself in different manners. On more personal platforms i express and voice personal opinions however certain accounts are made to express myself on a certain thing eg. on my astrology blog i will only represent myself from an astrological aspect because i'm aware that is what my followers want however personal accounts i openly represent myself as i know they are following me for me not for a certain thing. 

I think institutions still have a much stronger hold in the way that representation takes place, yes the audience is gaining more and more power on the way they are able to represent themselves, however they still do not have as much power as the bigger and more powerful institutions. An example of this is the way we represent ourselves on social media, if you look at the majority of females Instagram they are trying to represent themselves in the way that society deems acceptable and 'pretty' and pro-dominantly this isn't even a true representation of how they feel and think. The way society defines beauty is influenced massively by magazine and modeling agencies, like Vouge. Even if the look at advertising, certain groups of people are presented a certain way with certain stereotypes as it works as a short hand and helps to make advertising campaigns more successful despite the thousands of individuals screaming that isn't how they truly are. Another example are major news institutions such as BBC News and Sky News, the way the represent young adults, black males, Muslims is still in a prejudice and inaccurate manner no matter how many people raise their voices up against it, they still have the power to influence 90% of public opinion. Who are you more likely to believe, a massive company like the BBC or a single unknown teenagers twitter profile? 

Representation: Photoshop collages

Parallel / Dominant reading

Alternative reading 

Representation (and theories)

Find a YouTube clip from film or TV and complete the same activity we have just done in class:

• White men: Alternative, as they are more submissive than pro-dominantly portrayed.
• White women: Dominant, as they are working under someone and are being submissive.
• Black man: Dominant in the fact that they dominate but alternative as he is the main man in power.
• Women: Dominant, as they're working beneath someone but alternative as we are made clear the female protagonists disagreement. 
• Males: Dominant as one is in power and strives to be listened to but alternative as other males are forced to listen are are less impulsive.
• Young adults: Dominant as Males are still joking about and impulsive in disagreement, both genders are given less power.
• Adults: Dominant as they have more power over the situation and give commands
• Groups: Dominant are there is a leader and the rest are in consensus. 

Task 2; 

You now need to write an in-depth analysis of the representation in this clip as if you were writing an essay or exam answer. 

The representation of men in the clip are varied. There is a dominant representation of men in the sense that the main person in power is a male character who strives to be listened to. The theory of Mudhurst can therefore be applied, as you see an older male, who seems fairly built and you presume he has both mental and physical power and therefore be assertive and probably aggressive if not listened to, like an 'alpha male'. This is also reinforced through the costume he is wearing, he is wearing a sort of 'bullet proof vest' suggesting that he may be a sort of solider. This may create the concept that he is the 'good guy' maybe even the doner, and in turn having much more powerful and positive connotations such as him being strategic and trustworthy. This may mean that Perkins stereotype theory may apply in the sense that this positive representation isn't very negative and is often true regarding the solider profession. Alternatively the representation of the younger male characters is that they are less impulsive and listen, this is an alternative representation as young adults aren't usually represented as less impulsive and calm. This may be subverting from typical stereotypes however some of them are still impulsive in disagreement and immature. Strauss' theory of ideologies can therefore be applied as this may be the belief of the producer who is likely to be an adult and maybe even have children therefore sharing this stereotypical view that young males are immature and impulsive, this therefore also involves dyers theory as these are less powerful individuals and therefore their representation can be presented in this certain way. Moreover in terms of the male representation another interesting aspect is that the powerful man is in face a black man. This is a dominant reading in the sense that black males are stereo-typically associated with being assertive and easily dominate other characters however alternative in the aspect that he is in power. He is of a minority group which deters from Dyers concept that minority group individuals have less power and are therefore in turn represented in a negative light however this therefore supports Perkins theory as this idea of black men have a dominating character isn't a fully negative aspect, also partially true and the fact that he is in power is in fact a positive rather than negative thing .Another racial aspect is that the white males in the clip are presented as less powerful and submissive which is also an alternative representation, moreover it opposes Dyer also as it represents a fairly powerful group in a more negative light and in turn supports Perkins idea that stereotypes aren't always about less powerful groups.

Alternatively in this representation of male characters there is also a representation of female characters too. There is both a dominant and alternative representation, it is dominant in the aspect that they are working beneath a male character, which is somewhat true of our society therefore showing an aspect of Mudhurst as its a negative representation of a minority group but Perkins' theory in the aspect that there is some aspect of truth in this representation. However, there is an alternative reading due to the fact that these women are represented as they are not submissive and openly express their disappointment and disagreement with the authority figure. 

Dependency theory

Dependency theory: blog task

1. What do YOU primarily use the media for: entertainment or information? (Or something else?)

I use it for both, but only for relevant information. Its actually an equal balance between the two cause you can always Google anything.

1. To what extent do you feel we are dependent on the media?

A very high extent because everyone uses it as a source of continuous information and entertainment and this would be hard to deal with for everyone... 

1. Has our dependence on the media changed over the last 10 years? How?

What form of media we are dependent on. For example, 10 years ago people where probably more addicted to TV whereas now it would be our phones and our social media.

1. Read this Telegraph article – does this support Dependency theory? What is your personal opinion on this issue? 

This does support the theory. This is because it talks about how we depend on the way we use the media. I think its true as we tend to look just on the internet for information whereas hardly anyone knows how to use an atlas or anything. 

Audience theory: blog tasks

Hypodermic needle model

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

The article shows that there is a direct correlation between aggressive attitudes and playing video games that are violent. It shows us that the media, the video game, directly influences our behaviour, aggression despite other factors. 

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

The front page is directly saying that the media, violent video games, are the cause of the teenagers hacking ability. This front page may however be criticised due to the fact that it seems to be reinforcing stereotypes and targeting certain groups "single mother", "video games" "15" and "hardly leaves his bedroom" are creating negative connotations with the groups. Moreover these aspects cannot have a direct link yet they are being used in the heading of the news story.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

The model highlights that powerful opinion leaders of the media influence the audience due to social factors. This is increasingly relevent today as there is an increased use of social media where people can openly share their opinions e.g on twitter.

2) How does this YouTube blogger fit into the two-step flow model?

They have 2 million subscribers showing that they are a popular channel and they post videos sharing their opinions on issues, such as political ones and they audience may follow these ideas. 

3) How this this Telegraph article on influential tweeters fit the two-step flow model?

It shows how social media is used by celebrities and certain personalities that can express their belifs and opinions on a wide range of audiences as well as becoming extremely influential even on political levels (as some celebs topped even political leaders)

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model?

His opinions and voices are being heard. 

Uses and Gratifications

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points.

Diversion: Social media, such as Instagram, where you have irrelevant things on your feed which helps you forget about all else and just see these engaging yet pointless things which work as a form of pleasure.

Personal Relationships: Dramas/Reality shows such as big brother. You often find characters/personalities that you like watching and you begin to watch all the episodes. 

Personal Identity: Social media, such as tumblr, is somewhere where we follow the people who identify ourselves with and have similar tastes and interests as them and therefore we see a bit of ourselves with these bloggers. 

Surveillance: News channels, such as bbc news, where you get 24 hours news that we need to know etc. Also things such as weather apps also fit well into this category 

Psychographics: pair presentations

Structure

Who you are working with: Harkiran and Katie

The psychographic group you are researching: Resigned
Rigid, strict, authoritarian and chauvinist values, oriented to the past and to Resigned roles. Brand choice stresses safety, familiarity and economy. (Older)

Introduce your example couple that represents your group:

Their names:

There names where Margret and Patrick Dubois


Where do they work/study?

They are both currently retired but Margret is an ex receptionist at an independent journalist and Patrick is an ex security guard. 


What do they do in their spare time?

Well, they like to watch the BBC whilst playing bingo along side their nice hot tea at their wooden family table for four. But, realistically they just watch the BBC to complain about the world whilst telling of their bored grandchildren. 


Now suggest their media consumption:

Print: What newspapers/magazines does your group read (if any)? Is this on paper or tablet? 

They read various newspapers, such as the times, guardian, independent but their favorite is the telegraphy (occasional the daily mail)

Broadcast: What TV programmes/channels do your group watch? Radio stations? TV package – Freeview or Sky? Films?

They have a freeview box set (and one of those mini tv's with cable in their bedroom) but they usually just watch the terrestrial channels (in the daytime only obviously to watch their daily soaps)

E-Media: What technology do they own? What websites do they visit (if any)?

The most technology they have is their landline, a old Motorola flip phones and an out of date computer their son left behind. 

Some extra information;

• they're family orientated
• have a lot of old clothes
• have a huge china cabinet
• Patrick's bold
• they have those old floor centerpieces at their family table
• they watch Jeremy Kyle and moan about the people on it (its a guilty pleasure of theirs)

We did make a picture but sadly we cannot share that at the moment. :(

Narrative blog task

Divergent

Enigma and Action Codes - Roland Barthes:

The enigma codes:

• The protagonists dismissive expression causes the audience to wonder is she is really giving up or if she'll fight back.
• The male characters stern expression causes the audience to question if he'll be okay and if Tris will be able to help him.
• The protagonist trying to call four causes the audience to wonder if Tris will keep trying and if she will succeed.

The action codes:

• The older women walking towards to protagonist questions if there is going to be conflict between the two. 
• The anger and hurt in the protagonists expression suggesting that they might try to fight back of prove the other women wrong. 

Todorov: equilibrium

• The equilibrium is that four and tris are both in trouble
• The disequilibrium is that the women comes and talks down to the protagonists and tells her she cannot do anything
• The equilibrium isn't made yet but is beginning as the women leaves the male and female characters alone. 

Character theory: Propp

(only regarding the scene given)

• The Villain: The older women 
• The Princess: in this case its four (the male character)
• The Hero: Tris (the girl)

The 100

Enigma and Action Codes - Roland Barthes:

The enigma codes: 

• The character rushing in - what happened?
• demanding for the bottle - whats wrong with it? why is she asking for it?
• the girl who's tied up - why is she tied up? 
• the girl bleeding a lot - is she going to be okay?

the action codes:

• gustus being captured? - will he do something now? 
• intense eye contact between the two characters- will there be further fights or complications?
• the boy breaking the code- whats this going to lead to?

Todorov: equilibrium

• equilibrium: They are trying to save their friend
• disequalibrium: they realise who the harm is and try to prove it
• equilibrium: they successfully prove their friends innocence and is freed. 

Character theory: Propp

• The Villain: The man who's arrested
• The Donor: Belammy (the boy who accuses the man)
• The Helper: The girl who gets the guy arrested
• The Princess: oxtavia (the girl bound on the tree)
• The Hero: Clark (the blond girl)

Go compare advert

Enigma and Action Codes - Roland Barthes:

the enigma code: 

• the close ups of the clothes - who is it?
• he silences everyone- whats going to happen

the action code:

• (linked to previous chain of adverts) hes singing- is anyone going to stop him?

Todorov: equilibrium

• equilibrium: The man is making his way onto stage about to proform
• disequalibrium: The guy silences everyone and is singing
• equilibrium: everyone applauds him and dont try to stop him (linked to previous series of adverts)

Character theory: Propp

• The Donor: The stage crew
• The Helper: The other musicians?
• The Hero: The go compare man

Institution: CoolBrands research

1) Choose five brands from the top 20 that YOU personally admire and explain what you like about them.

1. Apple: They have created such a strong brand that 90% of people all want an apple product or already have one.
2. YouTube: Due to Youtubers its recently had such a huge up-rise and its unique, you always go to YouTube not anything else.
3. Netflix: Its convenient and nearly everyone has an account and one thing i'm sure is that all Tumblr users have to know about Netflix.
4. Instagram: Its just really popular and everyone has an account, its basically just one of the most social networking accounts everyone sort of has to have. 
5. Sony: They make so many improvements and their products always have a sleek appearance, really clean cut. 

2) For each of those five brands, write a sentence/paragraph summing up their brand values. Remember: brand values are the words or qualities that the brand would like to be associated with. You may also wish to use Dyer's Lines of Appeal theory here.

1. Apple: They have created such a strong brand that 90% of people all want an apple product or already have one.
2. YouTube: Due to Youtubers its recently had such a huge up-rise and its unique, you always go to YouTube not anything else.
3. Netflix: Its convenient and nearly everyone has an account and one thing i'm sure is that all Tumblr users have to know about Netflix.
4. Instagram: Its just really popular and everyone has an account, its basically just one of the most social networking accounts everyone sort of has to have. 
5. Sony: They make so many improvements and their products always have a sleek appearance, really clean cut. 

3) Lastly, explain why you think those five brands made the list of the coolest brands in Britain. What is cool about them?

1. Apple: Extremely popular and in demand no matter what the price is. 
2. YouTube: Its sudden up-rise due to the ability to openly express yourself and others through videos.
3. Netflix: Extremely talked about, especially on social media. 
4. Instagram: Becoming increasingly popular and a simple means of self-expression throgh photography. 
5. Sony: Unique and smart despite the competitive market. 

Learner Response

Feedback from sir,

WWW: Some very good work and clear engagement with the topic – I also like the informal nature of some of your posts which fits the blog format well! Your analysis of the 50 Cent advert is very impressive in places (e.g. your point about the connotation of the fingerprint).  

EBI: A couple of minor things – make sure images display correctly in your blog. Your own choice of advert for analysis won’t display – perhaps the image is too large or you didn’t save it to file first? 

Make sure you’re analysing each aspect in enough depth too. Finally, looking at your media 
consumption audit you definitely need to expand your interaction with the media – watching more films to start with!

LR: Reflect on your first month of AS Media. What is your strongest piece of work so far? What is your weakest? What specific skills or knowledge do you need to develop over the rest of the course?

LR Response:
I think my "Advert classwork analysis : Basic readings" was my strongest piece of work because of my interpretations but my weakest piece of work was my "Brand Values" task as i wasn't too good at keeping to a certain word limit. 
I need to develop my analysis by going into depth with each of the point i make as well as develop my over all presentation techniques. On top of that i need to keep up with a lot of general media.