MEDIA

AND
IDEOLOGY
By: Jela D. Villegas
Gylle Martinez
 IDEOLOGY
The word “ ideology” is associated with
rigid political beliefs or with social
movements espousing radical ideas
about reform and revolution.
Ideological State Apparatus
Gramsci and Althusser negated Marx’s
view that social and political institutions
including the state and their interactions, as
well as the ideas, values, and beliefs of a
society, are solely determined by the
economic structures and activities of society.
 They both argue that the superstructure of the
society of society enjoys a degree of autonomy from its
economic base and the relationship between ideas and
economic and class interest is not always linear.
The cultural institutions like media, religion, and cultural
system, and structures in charge of imparting ideology,
operate independent of the economic structure and this is
the reason they enjoy popular acceptance.
 Althusser proceeded further by theorizing
how the media and other ideological state
apparatuses work to reproduce the dominant
ideology. He was interested in understanding the
means by which the ruling class ruled as well as
how the dominant ideology shaped people’s
perceptions of the world.
 The ideological state apparatus
Previously labeled a superstructure in classical
Marxist theory, is now the ideological state apparatus.
The superstructure arises from the infrastructure
and consists of culture and ideology. The following
examples reflect the concept of the superstructure in
further detail:
• The culture includes the laws, politics, art, etc.
• Ideology includes the world views, values, and
beliefs
 REPRESSIVE STATE APPARATUSES

The ruling class uses the repressive state apparatuses (RSA)

to dominate the working class. The basic, social function of the
RSA (government, courts, police and armed forces, etc.) is timely
intervention to politics in favour of the interests of the ruling class,
by repressing the subordinate social classes as required, either by
violent or non-violent coercive means. The ruling class controls the
RSA, because they also control the powers of the state (political,
legislative, armed)
The differences between the RSA and the ISA are:
• The repressive state apparatus (RSA) functions as a unified entity
(an institution), unlike the ideological state apparatus (ISA), which
is diverse in nature and plural in function. What unites the disparate
ISA however is their ultimate control by the ruling ideology.
• The apparatuses of the state, repressive and ideological, each
perform the double functions of violence and ideology. A state
apparatus cannot be exclusively repressive or exclusively
ideological.
  MEDIA AS PURVEYOR OF DOMINANT
IDEOLOGY
Today, there seems to be debate: there are those
who argue that media promote the interest of the ruling
class, the most powerful segments of society, thereby
carrying the dominant ideology; on the other hand,
there are those assert that media texts can also contain
the messages that challenge existing worldviews other
than that of the powerful classes. It is no matter of the
media texts were created.
 Marxist philosophy, the term dominant
ideology denotes the attitudes, beliefs, values, and morals
shared by the majority of the people in a given society. As
a mechanism of social control, the dominant
ideology frames how the majority of the population thinks
about the nature of society, their place in society, and their
connection to a social class.
 IDEOLOGY IN STEREOTYPING

Stereotyping is an overarching belief about the

characteristics of a certain group in society.
 It was a journalist in the United States, Walter
Lippman, who first used thew term “stereotype” in
1922. He referred to stereotype as “pictures in our
heads” which we use to organize our perceptions of
the world and those people in our world.
Stereotype are forms of characterization that
are also memorable and widely patronized by many.
 Some stereotypes are attacked because they do not
really convey the glaring realities faced by a particular
group of people.
However, stereotypes are not always negative. In
fact, some are rather positive representations worthy of
emulation (e.g., the stereotype that Ilokanos are really
hardworking and diligent people or the notion that nerds
are naturally studios and diligent with their studies.)
However, current practices point us to the reality that
more often than not, the media help perpetuate the
ascription of negative traits because it generates drama,
comedy, or simply spectacle.
Stereotyping can become too rigid and constraining,
limiting the roles, responsibilities, and potentials
individuals can play in their everyday lives.