COMM 145I SJSU The Dominant Ideologies Present in Disneys Beauty and the Beast Essay

COMM 145I- Ideological paper

Dominant Media Ideologies

What is an ideology? An ideology is a set of ideas that directs one’s goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision or as a way of looking at things in common sense. It is a doctrine, philosophy, body of beliefs or principles belonging to an individual or group. In other words these are concepts we view as “normal” to our culture and therefore logically appeal to us through common sense.

The media tends to serve the hegemonic dominant ideology. The hegemonic ideology is reproduced in the media through media practices that stem from the ways journalists and producers are socialized from childhood and then trained, edited, and promoted by media. Although journalists and producers do not consciously consider ideology when they make news decisions, they tend to serve the political and economic elite’s ideology by doing their jobs.

Common media ideologies:

Materialism—Acquiring goods emphasized; As much as possible

Male privilege and patriarchal authority

Value placed on reputation or status over character traits

Reverence for the young

High value placed on technology

Successful people viewed as confident and assertive and money driven

Principle of independence as opposed to family values/cooperative values

Competition valued

Striving for higher economic status as a key to happiness.