Marxism

Marxism is a political practice and social theory based on Marx's philosophy, the political economy of Adam smith, Ricardian economics and nineteenth century French socialism to develop a critique of society which he has claimed to be both scientific and revolutionary.

Marxist Ideologies
Marx traced the development of material life, predicting that as capitalism replaced feudalism, so socialism would supersede capitalism.
He believed that capitalism is based on profit motive and that under profit makers, profits are generated by exploiting workers
(Example: a little boy making a football would cost much less then the price of the finished football)

He also believed that the capitalist society is divided into two social classes
The working class (proletariat) -who sell their labour and do not own the means of production
The bourgeoisie- who owns the means of production and employ the proletariat.
The bourgeoisie can be divided further into two subheadings:

Wealthy bourgeoisie who do not need to work for themselves.
Petty bourgeoisie who employ others, but do not work themselves.

Marxism in the media
· Media texts are produced within this society with social groups/ social divides. Media producers attempt to produce text which criticise this position they are doing so from within the society and therefore, by implication, accepting it since they are working within it.
· The culture industries see greater audience because of the profit motive. This leads them into constructing texts in deeded to generate mass audience, hence dubbing down their output.
· Mass media is seen as entertaining workers by feeding them ideologies and beliefs.

Althusser
(Ideological state apparatus) they operate alongside Repressive state apparatus to maintain bourgeois ideologogies.
Religion
Education
Family (family values)
Legal and political system (including trade unions)
Cultural and communications systems
He studied the way these ISA’s act to interpellate audiences

Gramsci
Is extended with the concept of hegemony (the dominance of the ideologies of the ruling class, with all the beliefs and values that they incorporate.
He argued that this process was successful that it becomes ‘common sense’ and these ideologies become taken for granted.
So by maintaining these ideologies in the media, the ruling class can ensure that they retain hegemonic control.