|
|
Questions of Meaning, Identity and Power are Commonly Regarded as Key Terms in the Study of Contemporary Culture. Are They? In approach to the importance of these three terms within contemporary cultural studies, I explore their relevance within three specific areas of cultural studies, aiming to illustrate the mainstream focus of modern discussion. Consumption, since the branding revolution of the 1980’s has become a busy avenue for potential discourse and prior knowledge suggests that meaning, identity and power do have a significant part in the activity of consumption in contemporary Western society. Secondly, the media, as its social role has led it to become a space for eternal power struggles can influence and guide those inflicted by it. The existence of propaganda and advertising illustrates the spread of common meanings, how it is accepted, and who or what has the power to enforce it. An examination of will tie the arguments together, representing a segment of society supposedly liable to separation. I hope to see what these terms mean on a personal level and what part they play in the separation or unification within identifiable groups of society. I have chosen Youth because though it is often generalized, it seems to be far more complex and diverse than one label, this term ‘youth’ in itself could be viewed as a use of power over a subordinated group of society, or their self proclaimed identity in resistance to the dominant forces. The media is a common place for power struggles between the dominant ideologies and those resistant to it. Soap Opera, laden with images of the dominant discourse is aimed at women, a subordinate group. Lay views suggest that since soaps are traditionally defined as being made about women and for women then they are supportive in women’s resistance against the dominance of men. However, this representational viewing has been produced by the dominant social forces, which are trying to stabilize their position towards hegemony, in this case aiming to further subordinate women into the roles they currently possess. To suggest the dominant ideology is trying to destabilise itself by promoting female resistance is against rational thought. Therefore, as was concluded in ‘Soap Opera and Women’ (Dyer et al, 1977) soap opera is working against the feminist discourse. Power is used by dominant forces through the media in order to influence and control their subordinates, in this case women. However, there must be a balance between opposing discourses in order for any media text to be accepted. Women must be allowed sufficient space in order to generate their own meanings within the text. However, these spaces are few and soap opera, as in all forms of mainstream commercial media use ‘representations of women … to … reproduce and reinforce the subordination of women’ (Dyer et al, p35, 2002). They suggest three main methods of manipulation. Validation of the everyday ‘presents rather than explores … it validates everyday life as it is lived’ (Dyer et al, p38, 2002). Reassurance through the public resolution of common problems whilst the ‘reassurance that everything will turn out best etc., is false’ (Dyer et al, p40, 2002). Thirdly, Utopianism, presenting not the perfect world but a fantasy society through elements of transparency and intensity, which are unrealistic in true life and therefore ‘it does not show you either how Utopia would be organized or how to get there’ (Dyer et al, p40, 2002). This study highlights the dominant ideology’s power over subordinated resistance. This is one of many methods, helping to keep the norm. It allows a controlled level of resistance from women through a construction of meanings from the text, which is controlled by the dominant. They can allow subordinates a controlled resistance where no damage can be inflicted on the dominant discourse. The 80’s artist Madonna became an influential site of semiotic struggle. Her success is due as much to her videos and personality as it is to her music, this is due to her text providing a space for fans to create their own personal meanings and resist the dominant discourse. However, Fiske (2002) argues that on face value she appears to further subordinate women (young girls in particular as they made up the majority of her fan base) as ‘hailing them as feminine subjects within patriarchy, and as such is an agent of patriarchal hegemony’ (Fiske, p97, 2002).
|
