Sociology ( popular culture) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology ( popular culture) - Essay Example 1)†. Of course the entertainment state is much larger that television itself and is essentially made up of what Hirsch (2000) calls cultural industries. These industries include television, films, news media and other influences on culture that define how a society shapes itself. The entertainment state can affect cultural values to the point that villains in the culture of one social order may be the heroes in another. For example, in some Islamic countries â€Å"Osama bin Laden’s now familiar smile beams out from posters and T-shirts dotted around the bus stops and markets (The Daily Times, 2003, Pg. 1)†. In American however, his picture may grace many dart boards. This is also a difference of ideology which is described by Johnson (2004, Pg. 587) as, â€Å"Popularly accepted ideas about the structure, the internal processes, and the world situation of the society†. Further, ideology includes ideas about the history of the society, revaluations of accepted facts as well as the values and goals which society has for itself. However, Johnson (2004) makes it clear that ideology is not a static object since it can change its particulars with time and may need constant reassurances from the institutes which maintain and control the social order. This maintenance and control of the ideology of a society creates hegemony. The hegemony may be created by the government in situations where the media is controlled by the state or it may be created by media mavens themselves. In America for example, the media controls most of the information and entertainment given to the public. As described by Henry (2007, Pg. 252), â€Å"Five gigantic entities: Time Warner, the Walt Disney Corporation, Rupert Murdoch News Corporation, Bertelsmann of Germany and Viacom† control most of whatever is heard and seen by the American public. Unsurprisingly, this media cartel has the same news and views to offer to the public while the voice of