Hegemony is such a weird word. To be quite honest with you, I had never really thought about the word until I took RTF 305. While it's a really weird word, it has so much to do with today's media; in fact, it describes our media. The media is here to control and dominate.
The media controls what we watch, listen to, and even what we are attracted to. They decide what new television show will get an enormous amount of attention or what product will be used the most from users. The media does these things through hegemony, gate-keeping, agenda setting, and framing.
An example that really pops up in my mind is reality television. Reality television has become a HUGE part of today's society. Shows such as Jersey Shore, The Real World, and The City, have became dominate shows of television. The media has thrown these types of shows out there knowing that people want addictive drama, gossip, and action; hegemony has controlled society in a way where it pushes people to feel the urge to keep up with other people's lives and escape from their own. Reality television is exactly that.
I found this documentary on YouTube discussing reality television and hegemony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppMfMOhf-ig
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