Music videos as sites of ideological warfare-a study of some selected Ghanaian music videos

Abstract

Music video is one of the most favoured forms of entertainment in the world today and it is used by music video producers and artists to vend ideas, personalities and products. Studies on music videos over the years have shown that audiences are influenced by the images that are transmitted through such videos. Considering that music videos are one of the most popular types of entertainment in the world and what people are exposed to through music videos, in particular, influences their worldview, it is critical that every form of artistic expression is worth investigating. This study examines the kinds of messages embedded in some selected Ghanaian Hiplife music videos as well as their ideological underpinnings, using qualitative content analysis. The music videos were selected using purposive sampling technique. The study applied Hegemony and Pluralist Model to investigate the messages and ideological underpinnings of the selected Ghanaian Hiplife music videos. The analysis indicates that there are indeed several messages embedded in Ghanaian Hiplife music videos that fight for viewers’ attention. Messages of eroticism, wealth, visual abstraction and dance/celebration. These messages were transmitted through visuals as well as some codes and conventions of music videos. Also, the study shows that the mass media through music videos uniquely introduces elements into individual consciousness that would not otherwise appear there, but will not be rejected by consciousness because they are so commonly shared in the cultural community. This study also revealed sexual objectification, consumerism and hegemonic masculinity as some of the ideological underpinnings in the selected Ghanaian Hiplife music videos. The study concludes that music video producers are able to produce the content, inflections, and tones of ideas that are favourable to them far more easily than other social groups because they manage key socializing institutions, thereby guaranteeing that their points of view are constantly and attractively cast into the public arena.