Ideologies 

Social and Cultural Contexts

Recap

Who believed that audiences acquire attitudes, emotional responses and new styles of conduct through modelling (copycat behaviour)?

Describe the process through which ideologies are communicated by media producers to their audience.

Ideology

Ideologies are systems of beliefs, values, and ideas that shape how individuals and groups understand, interpret, and interact with the world.

Ideologies are usually seen as reinforcing the position of power in society.

They often provide a framework for political, social, economic, or cultural thinking, guiding people's views on issues such as government, society, justice, and individual rights.

Beliefs = consciously held sets of ideas about the world

Values = whatever the individual person thinks and feels are important

Attitudes = individual's ideas and feelings about something, which will ultimately affect their behaviour

Question: Do we passively accept our cultural ideologies or actively engage with them? And which theory/theorist might help us with this answer?

To fully understand how ideologies are formed, we need to understand social and cultural contexts. These both shape, and are shaped by, ideology.

Social Context

Social context refers to the immediate social environment in which a media text is produced or consumed (what is the reality we live in).

This social environment will include factors such as class, gender roles, ethnicity, family structures, education levels, economic conditions, or any power relationship in society at a specific time.

For example, if a TV drama portrays a working-class family struggling with unemployment, its social context includes rising inequality or austerity measures at the time of production.

Cultural Context

Cultural context refers to the broader shared values, beliefs, traditions, customs, and norms of a society or group (how do we think, behave, and what is expected of us).

These norms might also link to the social factors listed above, about gender, race, class, etc.

For example, a superhero movie where the hero represents justice and freedom reflects cultural values around heroism, nationalism, or individualism.

Social and Cultural Context link to ideology in different ways

Social Contexts:

Ideologies are used to justify or challenge social structures, such as capitalism (class, economic conditions), patriarchy (gender roles, family structures, power imbalance) or racism (ethnicity, economic conditions, power imbalance)

Cultural Contexts:

Ideology is embedded in cultural norms (what is normal, accepted, naturalised and desirable in society). The media may reinforce or challenge these norms.

Application

For each of the examples below, consider the following:

• Social context - what is the social reality in which this media product was made? How does it reflect social issues?
  
  
• Cultural context - what does this media text suggest is normal, accepted, desirable in society?
  
  
• Ideology - what are the attitudes, values, beliefs that this media text reinforces or challenges?

                  

(Influencers, e.g. Molly-Mae, Logan Paul)

Theory Drop: Cultivation Theory

Article: Gerbner's Cultivation Theory

Cultivation theory suggests that prolonged exposure to media can shape our perceptions of reality; over time the media 'cultivates' a view of the world that while distorted becomes accepted by the audience as the norm. 

If you're constantly exposed to certain themes (e.g. violence, stereotypes, gender roles) in the media, you might start to view the world as being more like how it is depicted in the media.

Questions: 

• How would we link cultivation theory to our discussion of ideology?
  
  
• Is there a theory/theorist that would problematise the power of cultivation theory?
  
  
• Can you think of examples of behaviours, attitudes, or values that have been cultivated by the media over time, constructing ideologies as a result? Find examples of this in the media.

Theory Drop: Active/Passive Audiences

Article: Active/Passive Audiences

Active audience theory argues that viewers actively interpret and engage with media content, bringing their own meanings and responses. In contrast, passive audience theory sees audiences as simply absorbing media messages without questioning or challenging them.

Theorists like Stuart Hall and Clay Shirky explore how audiences have become more active in their consumption of media.

Questions: 

• How does the article describe the role of audiences in the mass media era before the rise of the internet? What metaphor is used to illustrate this?
• What key technological changes does the article identify as enabling the shift from passive to active audiences?
• In what ways does Web 2.0 allow audiences to move from just consuming content to participating in media production and feedback?
• Using examples from the article, explain how the digital revolution has blurred the lines between producers and consumers in media.

TASK

You have 10 minutes to mind map a variety of ideologies that are embedded in our social and cultural identity.

Watch these videos and let's discuss your thoughts: