In class on Thursday we went over the 5 essential ingredients of the propaganda model, outlined by Noam Chomsky. The propaganda model essentially demonstrates that the media, which is controlled by the select few, impacts our entire nation in five different ways. The dangerous thing about propaganda through the media is that people choose to accept the world views broadcasted and society becomes numb to the obscene amount of advertising. Americans specifically have this sort of “opine and recline” attitude towards media, where people elect to sit back and just accept what life throws at them. People tend to consume “simplistic” forms of media, which advertisers are fully aware of. “Advertisers will want, more generally, to avoid programs with serious complexities and disturbing controversies that interfere with the buying mood” (Chomsky 269). For example, advertisers would not want to spend money to have their commercial air during a documentary about the Holocaust or something with equal negative emotions. Advertisers and consumers alike do things the easy way, and it pays off for both fronts.
This whole notion of media propaganda ties in with Althusser and his discussion about ideology. The upper class/media can persuade the masses to believe certain ideologies, while at the same time adhering to media propaganda. Society has a laid back attitude towards these facts, accepting their fate as subjects within a rigged system. Aside from celebrities, arguably, there are no individuals within our society in America. Each individual is interpellated as a subject within the realm of the media conglomerates that dominate our cultural beliefs. Americans also choose to democratically accept the idea of “experts” reporting news, rating movies, etc. The idea of an expert opinion is so exciting people blindly believe what in reality are the words of a complete stranger. These days anybody can call themselves an expert if they work decently hard for a little while at something. Blind consumption is the name of the game, whether it be expert opinions, ideologies, or the propaganda model in general.
1 comment:
This is a really thorough blog in which you take the time to closely critic the way that culture functions through propaganda. You do a great job highlighting the way advertising agencies work in targeting their consumer. Great connection to Althussar - keep up the good blogs through to the final exam! :)
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