Croteau/Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition
Chapter 5: Media and Ideology
Discussion Questions
1. Why are those who examine the “ideology” of mass media generally wary of debating the
“reality” of media images? How do they view the relationship between reality and
ideology?
a. How are contemporary approaches to ideological criticism different from early
Marxist approaches?
b. How do ideologies get into texts? What are the forces or the mechanisms,
conscious or unconscious, that lead mass media texts to reinforce existing
ideologies?
2. How are media images central to the contemporary “culture wars” in the United States?
3. How and why is the concept “hegemony” significant for ideological analysis of media?
How does it differ from analyses of “false consciousness?” Where does the concept
suggest we look for evidence of ideology at work?
4. What is the underlying ideology in most economic news?
5. How can action-adventure and war films be read ideologically?
a. How do critics view the relationship between action-adventure films and 1980s
political culture? What is your perspective on this relationship?
b. The authors argue that post-9/11 films are more ideologically complicated that
films made after the Vietnam War. Do you agree or disagree? Why? If you agree,
why are these films so more complicated and less univocal than their
predecessors?
6. How did representations of American family change from the 1950s to the 1980s in
television? How are these changing representations related to contests over dominant
ideologies?
7. Can rap music be seen as a critique of mainstream norms and values, even when popular
rap songs are used as advertising jingles? Why or why not?
a. Can you think of other examples where counterhegemonic expressions are
incorporated into advertising and commercial culture? Do these examples
illustrate points or arguments that extend or challenge some of the textbook
authors’ assumptions?
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