1. Unit MS1 Media Representations & Responses
Theoretical models & theories
Key Concepts
False consciousness: a Marxist term to describe the way
that the ruling classes in society
keep everyone else in a position of
subservience by hiding the true
nature of their existence. This is
done through the way dominant
ideology suggests the ‘norm’ or
accepted way things should be. For
example – women have been lulled
into a state of ‘false
consciousness’ because society
(dominant ideology) through the
representation of women on TV, in
films and in magazines encourages
women to conform to stereotypes
about how they should look and
behave. Some critics have called
this the ‘cult of femininity’, as it
suggests there is a very narrowly
defined ‘ideal’ of what femininity
is. The same arguments could be
applied to masculinity, the
acceptable lifestyle we lead, etc.
Q: How might use be made of Marx’s ideas by looking at
the way representation is handled in magazines, ads or
film posters about gender, income, wealth, consumer
goods, fashion, etc?
False needs: A group of intellectuals & academics
called the Frankfurt School
developed some of Marx’s ideas for
the media age. Writing in the 1940s,
they witnessed the explosion of mass
TV & radio advertising in the US &
Europe after WW2 and coined the term
‘false needs’. This term describes
the way advertisers create a need in
us to purchase a product that would
otherwise not exist i.e. we do not
really need the product but think we

2. do. Advertising techniques, such as
‘emotional promise’ and the extent
to which advertisers try to touch
our deepest psychological feelings
based on envy, fear of rejection,
aspirations, hopes, desires and
fantasies tend to support this
argument.
Q: By analysing some media images, how could you directly
apply the ideas of the Frankfurt School and false needs?
Provide examples.
Maslow’s Hierarchy
Of Needs: A psychologist, Maslow argued that
humans are motivated by a number of
‘needs’ and these are ordered
according to priority. These have
often been represented as a pyramid
Maslow’s arguments do not
specifically relate to the media or
magazines but they are a useful
contribution to how we might
identify a real ‘need’ by audiences
and individuals. They might also
make useful comparison with McQuails
Uses & Gratifications theory.
Q: Can any of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs be
related to aspects of lifestyle magazines. Find some
examples from your chosen texts and try to apply them to
Maslow?
Physiological needs: food & water
Physical needs: protection, security
Belonging needs: friendship, affection
Psychological needs: self-esteem,
recognition, prestige
Self-actualisation: cognitive growth,
rich & varied experiences, sense of self

3. Uses & Gratifications
theory: a theory recognising that audiences
do not use media products in the
same way, or indeed how the producer
intended the text to be used at all.
Q: Consider how magazines can be used in different ways
from the purpose intended by the media producer?