MUHAMMAD HAMID

Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the mass media has been critical to the advancement of our society that now virtually no one can live without it. “Mass media has a prominent role to play in modern society and modernisation has converted media into an indispensable feature of human activity” (Paul, Singh and B. John, 2013). However, what is the mass media? According to Study.com, the “Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the public. The most common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding political issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in pop culture” (Study.com, N.D). As it can be seen, the mass media comes in many unique forms and is essential to us, as, without it, we will not be able to get any information regarding anything which we find important to us whether that is news or gossip.

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Furthermore, it is critical to our society as it is our main channel of communication, and society relies on it to form opinions and decisions. However, there are two concepts which, in a way, help us understand the role of the mass media better and how it works in our society, and they are ideology and hegemony. Ideology is “a set of beliefs or principles, especially one on which a political system, party, or organisation is based” (Cambridge Dictionary, N.D.) while hegemony, is “Leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others” (Oxford Dictionaries, N.D). These two concepts have shaped the way the media communicates their information to the masses and influences the type of news they produce. In this essay, we will look at the concept of ideology and discuss the role it has in the mass media and how it affects today’s society and our understanding.

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“When we examine the ideology of media, we are not so much interested in the specific activities depicted in a single newspaper, movie, or hit song as in the broader system of meaning of which these depictions are a part” (Croteau and Hoynes, 2013). As shown, ideology can be found in many tools of the mass media, but it always belongs to one type of system. Furthermore, with mass media, ideology can spread through the various mediums of communication used, and it can be either for a good or bad cause. It all depends on the producer. According to Antonio Gramsci (2006), “The Concept of “Ideology” “Ideology” was an aspect of “sensationalism”, i.e. eighteenth-century French materialism. Its original meaning was that of “science of ideas”, and since the analysis was the only method recognised and applied by science it means “analysis of ideas”, that is, “investigation of the origin of ideas”. Ideas had to be broken down into their original “elements”, and these could be nothing other than “sensations”.” (Cited in Durham and Kellner, 2006, P.14).

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Moreover, these sensations were manipulated by the ruling class. “Virtually all forms of mass media—radio, television, movies, music, and the Internet—are standard targets, attacked by politicians from different political perspectives who have little doubt that the media are ideological, selling certain messages and worldviews” (Croteau and Hoynes, 2013). We live in a society which is controlled by its media as it is dedicated to its governmental affairs and religion. Additionally, as said by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (2006), “The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, consequently also controls the means of mental production, so that the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are on the whole subject to it” (Cited in Durham and Kellner, 2006, P.9). This suggests that the people who control the media (politicians, states, parties) can easily impose what they want the public to see and believe in and that can affect the way the society thinks on a specific matter which can be for a better or worse understanding.

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To begin with, there are definite advantages to the word ideology and how it is used in mass media to influence the society we live in today. However, just because ideology has been often associated with close-mindedness or negative thinking that does not mean it was not used to promote something positive.

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During the First World War, the British army was weak against the Germans as it was unprepared and rushed into the conflict. This led the British government to resort to using the mass media to promote nationalism and motivate countrymen to join up in the armed forces through posters such as the iconic “Your Country Needs You” poster and newspaper adverts. This goes to show how the mass media can be used to bring about a positive way of thinking to the audience and encourage them to do something beneficial for their country. Also, these days, the mass media can be a tool for social interaction and understanding as differing ideologies can come together on social media platforms and interact with each other in an open space without conflict. This can also be a motivation for the social exchange of ideas and values which can promote a better understanding of thought and more respect towards other’s views on certain things.

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Moreover, “During a disaster, the media play a crucial role as an information broker and a conduit of information in the affected region during the response and recovery phase” (ABEYWARDANA, 2017). This helps our society in understanding that the media wants to instil a feeling of compassion towards the affected region which can uplift us to help those affected by the catastrophe and keep us up to date on what is happening there, such as aid relief and rehousing efforts. Besides, the mass media can also assist us in realising an absolute truth by exposing corruption and wrong-doing. The society we live in today has allowed for a more open form of media to exist, one that is decentralised such as social media networks and tv channels like the BBC who do not have any state intervention or are controlled by the state in any way. Also, “The media are working well to prevent corruption, they employ investigative journalism to reveal inequities, and violations and, in an educational sense, reinforce social values that reduce the incidence of corruption in government and business. Relying on freedom of speech, the media perform their watchdog function in society as they curb and expose social injustice. The media, who deal with current events, prevent corruption by stressing its immorality” (Utriainen, N.D.). Nevertheless, the effects of a positive ideology do impact us to do good and improve the society around us when shown to us by the mass media.

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On the other hand, ideology can have a detrimental effect on our society and our understanding if used in a wrong or deleterious way by the mass media. The public is susceptible to what it sees on the news and views can quickly change regarding a specific topic or subject. If the media presents a social or political group in a bad light, then they shall be discriminated against and blamed for the problems of the country by the general public. This, in a sense, could help bolster support for a rival political or social group. Not to mention, this type of media reporting is harmful to the public, primarily if supported by the government; it can have devastating effects on other countries or people who are targeted by it. While this is still done today, it can be said that this tactic was highly utilised by the Soviet Union and the United States during the 1960s and 1970s where the cold war was at its height. The conflicting ideologies used propaganda and false reporting to make the other seem dangerous and intimidating.

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On top of that, many people feared nuclear annihilation so during those times both the USA and the USSR produced films to warn and educate their populations on how to protect themselves against nuclear attacks by building shelters and doing other things. While the possibility of war was high, it can be argued that both superpowers used the media as a weapon to propagate their ideologies and power, which led to raised tensions and provoked suspicions. This was a harmful use of the mass media as “various information presented is considered to give a tangible influence positive and negative” (Paul, Singh and B. John, 2013). It brought distrust and made the public believe that the other country and anyone allied with that country were their sworn enemies.  Likewise, “One of the areas which the media follows with great interest and reports as it likes, is the matter of crimes, especially those with destructive effects. Terrorist acts, kidnappings, tragic murders and other cases of this kind are reflected in the media to be made in a way to make citizens fearful of their future and make them believe that they are living in conditions of insecurity, so they will always be fearful of crimes and insecurities” (Alipour et al., 2015). This is a consequence of the mass media as “mentioning the details of criminal behaviours, and the way they use for committing a crime is teaching them the tricks and skills for committing crimes. Continuous display of crime and violence in visual media causes human indifference” (Alipour et al., 2015). In this sense, the mass media’s role corrupts the audience by what it shows, and by this, the mass media presents a contrary ideology which depending on how it is conveyed, can affect society in diverse ways. Therefore, the “continued reflection of deviances in media decreases the hatred of crimes, and disorders become ordinary in the society” (Alipour et al., 2015). This, in turn, is counterproductive and slows down the development of society.

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In conclusion, the term ideology does help us to understand the role of the mass media in the society we live in today. We have looked at the disadvantages and advantages of ideology in relation to the mass media and how it influences the understanding of our society.  Moreover, “mass media is not vulnerable in itself, but like other technologies, it has positive and negative effects. Its effects can be dependent on how it is being used” (Alipour et al., 2015). “The entry of information by the mass media impacts social change in society. The information thus has the power both to build and destroy. This means that the mass media is double-faced” (Paul, Singh and B. John, 2013). In general, ideology does affect the media in one way or the other. The media then relays this information to us in the way the producer prefers or sees fit. The information can have different meanings depending on our culture and the way we interpret it. As a result, the mass media remains an essential institution to our society as it delivers news, entertainment, and information to us, and we rely on it heavily. Even though it is influenced by ideology in, either way, it tries to be impartial so that society can get the whole clear picture.