Read the article on The Hunger Games (below the line reading)
- Hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power influenced by a dominant group over other groups
"Why do women have to be 'as kick-ass' as the men, personally I'm bored of violent men being the heroes in films"
"It is honestly tough to think of other role-model females in books or TV, they're either wimps or psychos. "
"Katniss Everdeen is very similar in role-model terms to Harry Potter. Fictional and unrealistic."
"Why do we always have to say female role models are 'strong' as well...as if women aren't meant to be in the first place...? It's really a sad indictment of male led society... and this is coming from a man."
"No, that's not what I meant at all. I meant that it's patronising and clichéd to describe female role models as 'strong'."Katniss Everdeen, who initially may appear to be a strong role model, often remain constrained by patriarchal norms of emphasised femininity in that they eventually are returned to traditional roles, "safely brought back to orthodox femininity" (Dominguez-Rue, 2010, p. 306), constructed as virgins in need of rescue (Baecker, 2007), domestics (Waller, 2004), wives and mothers (Pérez Valverde, 2009). This is proved to be true in The Hunger Games as Katnis returns to a life of domesticity. Alternatively, if they refuse to conform, they are often represented as "outsiders" (Pérez Valverde, 2009, p. 264), "monstrous" (Heinecken, 2011, p. 129), "too- powerful" (Parsons, Sawars, & McInally, 2008, p. 371), or "bad" (Bird, 1998, p. 122). This is evident in the film as Katniss is marginalised for her actions. While she may be viewed as role models, she also could be argued to serve as a cautionary tale; girls and women who contest heteronormativity may do so at their own risk.
- Heteronormativity is the belief that people fall into distinct and complementary genders (male and female) with natural roles in life. It assumes that heterosexuality is the only sexual orientation or only norm, and that sexual and marital relations are most (or only) fitting between people of opposite sexes.
1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? How did new and digital media create a different story? What does the police officer's subsequent acquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media?
One of the best examples of the ‘political’ impact of amateur video posted on the web was the death of Ian Tomlinson, who died after being hit by a policeman during the 2009 G20 summit protests in London. Originally the police issued a statement that:
described attempts by police medics and an ambulance crew to save his life after he collapsed – efforts they said were marred by protesters throwing missiles as first aid was administered. This was what the story would have remained as if it weren't for new and digital media.
A New York lawyer sent a video he’d made of the incident to The Guardian. This showed that the police version of events was not true. Although the newspaper is an example of traditional media, the fact that it could put the user-generated video on its website, and mad it available on YouTube, emphasises how audiences can more readily challenge the official version of events.
2) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is essentially a medium that allows audiences to become producers of media texts. This requires web-based software, such as blogs, which audiences can use to produce, and share, their own work. It is argued that Web 2.0, often referred to as ‘we media’, democratises the media, as anyone with a web connection can create and publish texts (‘user-generated content)
Some observers believe this has led to ‘dumbing down’ and ‘the cult of the amateur’, It is argued to be ‘dumb’ and ‘amateur’ because anyone, regardless of ability or expertise, can create texts. However others see this democratising function as extremely beneficial, as demonstrated by the Ian Tomlinson case.
3) In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?
I personally feel that new and digital media does allow space for both sides of the argument. Although anyone can create content and expose something, they can also include their own biases and create content that is one-sided and makes something appear in the way they want it to. However, I do feel that when something is exposed, it is so groundbreaking and challenging, like the Ian Tomlinson case, that it undermines dominant, hegemonic views entirely. In other words, new and digital media personally feels like a tool that empowers audience.
4) Do recent world events such as Brexit or Donald Trump's election in the US suggest dominant hegemonic ideologies are being challenged or reinforced?
With the US election, Donald Trump was presented as a candidate that would never have won. However, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, Trump challenged hegemony by being politically incorrect. Similarly, with Brexit, the idea of leaving was presented as unlikely yet new and digital media seemed to have a huge influence and override that. It is no longer the media that has control over the outcome of results like how whoever the Sun endorsed was almost guaranteed to win. People are independently making choices, subverting from the hypodermic syringe model in which audiences are passive to the media, absorbing what they say.
