Mass Media: Democracy's Heaven or Marx's Worst Fear?
“The fake media is trying to silence us but we will not let them.”, Donald J. Trump. It is no surprise that the public trust in media has declined since the 1990s. We would not blame him for accusing the media as his “trump” card.
While the media gloats that it is objective, unbiased, and truthful, every news you see is controlled by the establishment. It has become a platform for promoting norms and values constructed by the bourgeoisie (the capitalists). Due to the disproportionate distribution of wealth, the media has become a mere pawn of the elites.
“Manufacturing Consent” is a book co-authored by Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman that categorically talks about the role of media in morphing its audience’s behaviour. This research article will walk through some ways that the media uses to mould society by spoon-feeding opinions, according to the book:
Media coverage is always in the favour of the elite. The imminent thought that follows after reading this statement is that you have seen the media holding rich people accountable. Accountability is only the byproduct of another rich person paying them off. For instance, the downfall of Richard Nixon by the Watergate scandal was just a trajectory of the Democrat party getting back at him. It occurred in the 1970s when burglars broke into the Watergate headquarters of the Democratic National Committee to wiretap their phones. It was discovered that they had connections with Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon’s voter base plummeted from 68 percent to only 48 percent. A significant majority of 83 percent of Americans had heard about the incident. The televised Watergate hearing had amassed an audience of 71 percent Americans, resulting in his rating falling to only 31 percent. Ironically, around the same time, the state was assaulting socialist parties that were deemed too trivial by the media to give it full coverage!
News stations require hefty amounts to be sustained, this amount supersedes the revenue its consumers would be able to generate. Due to the competitiveness and rivalry between news channels, the requirement for technologically advanced tools, and expensive reporters, their dependency on advertisers increases. These channels conform to these advertisers by making their consumers the “product.” Sitcoms are strategically placed on the schedule to lighten up the mood of the potential buyers. Their purpose is to gain profit and they can push anything to gain that profit. Consequently, critical journalism is given a tertiary place to the need and interest of cooperation.
The reports from the media through the “experts” seem impartial and verified are just a form of bribery by the bourgeoisie. Payments are made to the experts who relay their distorted opinions to the media outlets. This was evident when the CIA framed Bulgaria, a then soviet state for the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. In reality, it was the two Turkish nationals that had murdered him. The media has historically played a pivotal role in shifting narratives. This partisan reporting is being reflected during the Gaza Genocide when words like “massacre” and “mass murder” are used for the Israeli causalities, while Palestinians are associated with “terrorists” and “savages.” The propagation of Israel as an innocent stakeholder by the media has resulted in generations of Palestinians being dehumanised.
In the realm of cameras and journals, if you stray away from the consensus of the rich, you will be shoved to the margins. This is known as getting “flak.” Whistleblowers, journalists, experts, and media can be discredited easily: by shrugging their reports under the rug, conversations are swayed. To keep its viewers in line, the rich have manufactured a common enemy–an entity that should collectively be feared. Communism, terrorism, and immigrants are the common that help them to gain public sympathy and produce a unanimous public opinion.
Media is a machine of brainwashing the masses through propaganda by the bourgeoisie for the proletariat (working class). As the Neo-Marxist Louis Althusser would have argued that the bourgeoisie made the working class buy their propaganda through the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). ISA refers to perpetuating certain ideologies within society through peer pressure and influence, while Neo-Marxism means the development of Marxist theory by looking at factors beyond the economy like gender and culture to maintain social order. Ideological State Apparatus can be the media and education. Both of these institutions render a person useless and take away their ability to think on their own. These are a gateway for people to abide by the rules of the bourgeoisie. We are made to believe that if we work hard enough, we will become a billionaire. Skewed narratives are built that if we are not able to reach our far-flung goals then we are not working hard enough and it is never the fault of the system.
As women progressed in society, the only way patriarchy could control them was through their looks, thus the ideal of beauty skyrocketed to an extreme level. The documentary, Miss Representation, dives into how the media has made a whole generation of women believe that their looks determine their value. Journalists comment on politicians like Hilary looking “Haggard” and “ like a ninety two year old.” Derogatory remarks are thrown at female politicians like they should get plastic surgery, highlighting how revoltingly the mass media treats the powerful women of the country.
In the US, 53 percent of 13-year-olds are unhappy with their bodies, this increases to 78 percent by the age of 17. As established before, channels depend on the advertisers; these advertisers promote specific body types and facial features to increase their product’s appeal. The need for advertisement makes these channels their mouthpieces, thus their programs start emulating these unrealistic standards set up by the advertisements.
If the people do not conform to these narratives, conformity is shoved in their throats through the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA). RSA is a way through which state institutions maintain social order through sheer power and coercion. RSAs like the police, the judiciary, and the military take away a person’s agency. If the power of the bourgeoisie is questioned through mass protests, the voices of the oppressed are hushed through these institutions. Your consent and agency are taken away from you.
In today's landscape, the dominance of the bourgeoisie (the capitalist) has cast a pervasive shadow over our world, clouding the vision of the masses with their self-serving agenda. This control extends to every facet of our lives; dissuading women from aspiring to leadership roles under the guise of “incapability”, coercing individuals into blaming themselves for their poverty and, most insidiously, veiling the truth that their every decision is coerced. The concept of human agency, a cornerstone of freedom and autonomy, has been systematically undermined and reduced to nothing more than a whispered myth in the ears of the oppressed. This perpetuates a cycle where ordinary citizens are denied the opportunity to recognize their power, stifling the emergence of true potential(with great power comes great responsibility). Democracy throughout the world is staged. Your consent is being fed to you!
