Lack Of Diversity In Media Analysis

The systemic pattern of hegemony in our political economy is wildly rampant and largely undetected. This creates a systemic problem in our society. The media is everywhere, and all encompassing, but goes practically unregulated in production, content and consumption. Our society has become so used to seeing products being sold and marketed to us we don’t question it anymore. It’s so constant, the validity, ethicality, and honesty of advertisements is almost never questioned. This lack of regulation and media awareness is shaped by systemic white male hegemony in our society. The lack of diversity in media content can be attributed to the lack of diversity in media producers. There are five companies that control nearly all media in the world;

One example is the seemingly body-positive Dove commercials. They show “real” women with curves, blemishes, and different skin tones. The women, of all different shapes, sizes and colors, all use Dove soap and love the way it feels. “Makes me feel beautiful” one woman says. Really, a bar of soap? Dove didn’t make this commercial to make women feel empowered. It is nothing more than a marketing tool. With more media awareness, more people have been openly critical of the monotonous advertising images we see daily. Dove could have seen this as an opportunity to set themselves apart from the billions of other beauty products women encounter daily. Almost anyone’s first reaction to seeing “real” women on television would be positive. By having a diversity of women on the screen, more people could identify with the designated consumer in the advertisement, and the producer can then sell more products. This ad is also somewhat saying, “Hey look, there are these less than perfect women, just like you! Maybe if you buy our product, you can be happy too!” This, again ties into the idea that ads don’t necessarily sell products. They often sell values, or

This is because modern-day technology is so deeply fused into our daily lives (Lull, pg. 40). From the minute we wake up to right before we go to bed, we are surrounded by mass media. We wake up, check our phones, log in to social media, and remain connected throughout the day. The idea of going a day without one’s cell phone is now practically unheard of. If you’re not on social media, there’s something “wrong with you”. This dependence on technology is all encompassing, you literally cannot escape the wide-reaching grasp of modern day media. That is why the impact of advertising and other forms of media simply cannot be