Subverting the Marxist paradigm

Abstract

New Zealand ranks 33rd out of 35 developed countries for rate of immunizations. The low rate of immunizations in New Zealand could be attributed to many factors, however, the information in available and accessible media must also be considered as a potential barrier to vaccination. This study examines the mediated discourse in a sample of New Zealand's alternative and mainstream online media within the framework of Marxist ideology. The praxis and theory of Marxism within the production of alternative media, much like vaccination campaigns, depends upon egalitarian, community-minded ideals. One might expect to find a Marxist ideology throughout pro-vaccination discourse and within alternative media, which have been found to depend upon these same egalitarian ideologies. While Marxist thought depends heavily on communal belief systems, it also serves as a framework to denounce corporate power. This research will examine whether the organizational norms and practices of an institution might be circumvented when the possibility of denouncing a core oppositional ideology, such as anti-corporatism, arises. In doing so, this research will explore the occasional conflicting nexus between the ideology of an issue and the ideology of a medium.