1 / 32

Marx & the Media

Marx & the Media. COM 327 January 21, 2014. QUIZ!!. 1. According to Fuchs, which corporation (perhaps knowingly) sold technology to the Nazis that was used in the Holocaust ? a) Nintendo b) Apple c) IBM d) Samsung.

rue
Download Presentation

Marx & the Media

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Marx & the Media COM 327 January 21, 2014

  2. QUIZ!!

  3. 1. According to Fuchs, which corporation (perhaps knowingly) sold technology to the Nazis that was used in the Holocaust? a) Nintendo b) Apple c) IBM d) Samsung

  4. 2. Which industry, which went through catastrophic upheavals in the 19th century, is Engels (via Fuchs) referring to here? “In no branch of English industry has mechanical ingenuity produced such brilliant results as here, but in no other has it so crushed the workers” a) the press b) the railroad c) textiles d) videogames

  5. 3. Speaking to the state of today’s media industries, Fuchs writes: “Media content capital and media distribution capital tend to________.” (p. 386) a) converge b) disappear c) fight d) win

  6. 4. As Fuchs describes, Louis Althusser (a Marxist scholar) called ________ a “system of the ideas and representations which dominate the mind of a man or a social group”. a) religion b) ideology c) pro sports d) Communism

  7. BONUS. What are the “bilateral polar opposites” that Fuchs references in the conclusion, with regards to media commodities? a) Communism and capitalism b) use value and exchange value c) joy and pain d) workers and owners

  8. Plan • Group presentation! • Why Marxism? • Central tenets of Marx’s theory • Marx & the media: “Political economy” of communication

  9. Reading Marx today • “Marxian” vs “Marxist” • Any analysis of economics & society that takes class into consideration VS • specific political project to disrupt/critique contemporary capitalism • Reading Marx does not make you Marxist! • Based his ideas on contemporary observations & historical analysis • Journalist writing on behalf of workers’ movements • Studied history of capitalism

  10. Reading Marx today

  11. Historical roots • Large & growing rift between capitalists (“those who owned means of production”) and workers • Overpopulation in industrial ctrs (London, NY, Chicago) • Brutal working conditions in factories • Technology developed in support of industry: automation, increased speed of transportation

  12. Marxian theories#1: Class Struggle Capitalist society is defined by the struggle for power between the ruling elite and the lower (and middle) classes Those who own the means of production vs those who work The Luddite movement: early hackers?

  13. “alienated labor” The average worker does not own the fruits of their work “Labor produces not only commodities; it produces itself and the worker as a commodity”

  14. “Main Street vs Wall Street”

  15. 99%

  16. “affluenza”

  17. Marxian theories#2: Commodity Fetishism What’s a fetish?

  18. Commodity fetishism: Goods are put on the market; disassociated from the context they were produced in We use an artificial means of exchange – money – to pay for the goods The social relationship between people is perceived instead as an economic transaction between objects ($$ and the thing we bought)

  19. Commodity fetishism: Goods are put on the market; disassociated from the context they were produced in We use an artificial means of exchange – money – to pay for the goods Thesocial relationship between people is perceived instead as an economic transaction between objects ($$ and the thing we bought)

  20. Marxian theories#3: Capitalism must expand • Capitalism is characterized by growth: • More capital (more money) • More stuff (commodities) • More concentration (not competition) • Greater divide between rich & poor

  21. Marxian theories#4: Ideology Fuchs, p. 389: “For Marx, ideology is the expression of dominant class interests and the attempt to control the dominated… …the class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it.”

  22. Ideology at work…

  23. Ideology explains, for Marx, why people don’t lose their sh*t and overthrow capitalism

  24. What is a “political economy of media”? Emphasis on media ownership Role of the press The relationship of media to democracy Concerns over advertising Portrayal of ordinary people as relatively powerless

  25. Emphasis on media ownership

  26. Role of the press “the corporate media have the additional advantage of controlling the very news media that would be the place citizens would expect to find criticism and discussion of media policy in a free society.” (McChesney)

  27. Relationship of media to democracy

  28. Spot the commodity!

  29. Concerns over advertising

  30. “Advertising & the end of the world” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8gM0Q58iP 4:00 to 16:00 (watch remaining 4 minson Thurs) Why is advertising so crucial to capitalism? What is capitalism’s major concern? What is the “right question” to ask in regards to advertising? What does Jhally mean by “consistent stories”?

  31. Portrayal of ordinary people as relatively powerless “dupes” “false consciousness” “consciousness industry” Next class: the first critique of “the culture industry”

More Related