Homo sapiens formed herds to survive, and hierarchies of dominant and subordinate groups gradually emerged in cooperative networks. Since then, societies have perpetuated hierarchies and discrimination through imagined orders and formed ideologies that privilege certain identities. The media in particular reinforces this order and perpetuates stereotypes, which have a profound impact on individual identity. To change the social fabric, we need to embrace diverse perspectives and foster critical thinking, which ultimately emphasizes the essential role of media and education.
Since the birth of Homo sapiens, they have formed herds to protect themselves from external threats. Realizing that being part of a social group was more beneficial to their well-being than being alone, they maintained and grew their herds. As the herd grew, to manage it efficiently, Homo sapiens built vast cooperative networks within and outside the herd, but most of these networks were hierarchical rather than egalitarian. At some point, a dominant group emerged, creating a hierarchy, and the subordinate group accepted it, supporting the dominant group with the surplus resources they produced. To reinforce their power, the ruling class instills an imagined order within the group to solidify the hierarchy.
An imagined order is a set of social norms that are strong enough to coherently coordinate the thinking of group members. This order is so deeply embedded in the lives of Homo sapiens that the only way for an individual to deviate from it is to leave the community. In modern society, this order is called ideology, and it has become increasingly powerful as the world becomes more integrated. As a result, the characteristics of each society have a strong influence on individual identity.
The power of each individual is determined by their position in an imagined order. In this article, we’re particularly interested in status-assigned identities, which are the origin of class systems and social discrimination. The main identities are gender, sexual orientation, nationality and race, economic status, and religion. For each of these identities, society creates an ideology that privileges certain characteristics over others.
Even in modern society, there is discrimination and privilege based on certain identities. Although there have been subtle changes over time, men are still privileged over women, heterosexuals are privileged over people of other sexual orientations, people from developed countries are privileged over people from less developed countries, and Westerners or Caucasians are privileged over people of other races. Economically, wealthier people have an advantage over poorer people, and religiously, Christians have an advantage over people of other faiths. What’s surprising is that there is very little evidence that these traits have an advantage. They are simply the result of an arbitrary ordering of traits in an imagined order.
An example of gender identity is the unnaturalness of men being in more powerful positions than women. In Sapiens, Yuval Harari explains strength, aggression, and survival strategies as reasons for this, but admits that the evidence is lacking. In the movie The Imitation Game, Alan Turing contributed to the Allied victory in World War II by breaking the German Enigma code, but was punished by the state for being homosexual and took his own life after being chemically castrated. His intellect contributed immensely to his country, but he was unable to overcome social discrimination.
Societies have a strong influence on the formation of individual identities by favoring certain group characteristics. To overcome this hierarchical order, we need to look at how ideologies are formed. When an individual is born, they are first exposed to ideology from their parents, and then the influence extends to education, government, and religion. But the biggest influence is the media. In modern societies, media reinforces and shapes ideology as a pillar of social structure, and the ruling class uses it to spread the ideology they want to see. An example of this is the Bud Light beer commercial.
In this ad, a man repeats the phrase “Dude!” in certain situations to represent the stereotypical male. For example, a man is sitting on a couch, and when another man sits down next to him, he gets uncomfortable and yells “Dude!”. In another scene, a man smells spoiled milk and says “Dude!”, which reflects the stereotype that men don’t do housework. Through these ads, we naturally internalize stereotypes about men. John Swansburg of Slate magazine credits this ad with Bud Light’s dominance in the industry because its message was easily accepted by the general public. The ad resonates and reinforces stereotypical male gender roles. In this process, the media instills the dominant ideology in the members of a group.
Ideologies have changed throughout history, as societies have abandoned imperialism in favor of globalism and liberalism. In order for the old order to collapse, the new order must be more powerful, and when the new ruling class embraces and spreads it, the members of the group are influenced by the new ideology. However, modern ideologies have yet to overcome the existing hierarchical order.
One way to change the existing order is through the media. Historically, the ruling class has controlled the media to reinforce the hierarchy, but nowadays, we have access to a wide range of media outlets. Individuals can resist the existing order by critically engaging with media from different perspectives. Parents and education are also important factors. Parents and educators should use the media to spread awareness and convey the right ideology. These individual efforts are fundamental to changing the structure of society and must be preceded by others.
In the end, we need new leaders who are just and strong to overcome the hierarchical order reinforced by the current ruling class. If the efforts of individuals can come together to create social change and create a leader with justice and character, this leader can then use the media to spread the new ideology. However, the new ruling class can also be corrupted over time, and members should not assume that the current order will continue into the future, and should avoid conforming to the hierarchy.
There is also a concern that the process of replacing an imaginary order, or ideology, will eventually lead to social anarchy when order is no longer needed. However, I believe that anarchy is not the result of a lack of order, but rather the result of no longer needing it. I believe that with continued replacement and refinement of ideologies, we can achieve a just and powerful imagined order.
