Ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs and values that the producer of the text encodes using visual and technical codes. But it is based on the idea that a media producer can influence and shape reality in some way... Here are a couple of examples:
In the video to Work (2016) by Rihanna, the producer uses a range of high angled shots and the mise-en-scene of her costume to present the ideology that Rihanna is superior, attractive, popular, and therefore worthy of the audience's attention.
In the 'Colours' advert for Special K, the producer reinforces the ideology that in order to be successful, women must look, dress, eat and act in a very specific way.
In the first episode of Top Boy, the producer uses a range of bleak establishing shots which frame young, black British males as small, vulnerable and lacking power. This ideology reinforces within the audience Alvarado's suggestion that black people are not only routinely stereotyped as being vulnerable, but also dangerous.
So, when discussing ideology, you must also discuss the ways in which the producer manipulates and shapes the opinions of the audience.
Hegemony
Hegemony refers to the power a group holds over another group. It is not power wielded through force, but through the consent of the subjugated or less powerful group.
How does this work? Here are some examples of hegemonic power:
Cultural hegemony - a dominant culture that is accepted by a society. So for example, in the United Kingdom, the national sport is football. The official spoken language is English. Our education system prizes a progression from GCSE to A-levels or similar. We have a culture of 'hard work'. Not conforming to these dominant ideologies may lead to an individual being excluded from society. For example, those seen to not be working hard enough could be labelled as a 'scrounger'.
This leads to a situation where native British people, especially those from the middle class, are given many advantages in society that others do not get.
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| British Tabloid The Daily Mail often takes a hardline opinion on those who claim state benefits. The use of the term "workshop" to describe someone identifying as disabled reinforces the ideology that those not in work are a drain on the country, and therefore should be excluded. |
Hegemony and ethnic minorities - Black people in UK Media are more often than not shown in one of a few roles. These include being pitiful and excluding from society, and being involved in organised crime in some way. These stereotypical roles, when cultivated through repetition in audiences can reinforce the stereotype that black people are disadvantaged, violent, or both.
This form of hegemonic reinforcement therefore reinforces the idea that there is a hierarchy in society with black people placed lower than white people.
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| In Top Boy (2009), the largely young, black and British cast are consistently framed in long shots and mid shots that position them in a stereotypical 1960's council estate setting, which connotes both crime and neglect. This reinforces the stereotypical ideology that young black British people are involved in organised crime |
Patriarchal hegemony - Media texts are predominantly produced and financed by men. This means that representations of omen, and of women's bodies in media texts have been constructed by men. As an experiment, do an image search for 'Marie Claire' right now. Marie Claire is a popular women's magazine with many editions across the world. What women appear on the front cover? Predominantly thin, often blonde, with clear skin, a toned, gym sculpted body, and almost exclusively white.
This form of patriarchal hegemony confirms exactly what women 'should' aspire to look like in order to look beautiful, while excluding women with other body types. We can go further and take a Marxist perspective that the dominant male ruling class utilise the media to ensure that men do not have their body image scrutinised, while women come under constant criticism, which therefore reduces their power in society.
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| The sidebar on The Mail Online (the online version of The Daily Mail) invites the predominantly young female audience to pass judgement and to criticise the bodies of other women. Women are constructed as either being stereotypical attractive, as stereotypically excellent mothers, or as obese and lazy. This reinforces the dominant ideology that in order to be both happy and successful, a woman in the UK must be thin, conventionally attractive, and light skinned. |
Tips for the exam
Identify the ideology of the producer and consider WHY he or she is presenting this point of view. Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself when watching the unseen audiovisual clip in the exam:
- Does the producer use stereotypes? Why?
- Do the use of negative stereotypes help the audience to understand the characters?
- Does the producer take a specific political point of view?
- Does the text show traditional, stereotypical representations, or does it use subversions? How, and why?
- What is the ratio to male and female characters?
- What is shown as being important in the text? How do visual codes and technical codes reinforce this importance?