This blog task assigned by Dilip barad.
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Introduction
In a world increasingly shaped by media and technology, the intersections of media, power, and education have become central to understanding culture and human consciousness. Dilip Barad’s blog post “Cultural Studies: Media, Power, and the Truly Educated Person” offers a concise yet powerful framework for exploring these ideas. Drawing upon theorists like Noam Chomsky, Michel Foucault, Marshall McLuhan, and Raymond Williams, Barad argues that media is not just a tool for information but a mechanism of control — a means through which power shapes perception. Simultaneously, he proposes that true education lies not in the passive absorption of knowledge but in critical inquiry, the ability to question dominant narratives and construct one’s own understanding.
In this reflection, I will explore (1) how Barad articulates the relationship between media and power, (2) what he means by a “truly educated person,” (3) how media influences cultural practices and identity, and (4) how a critical approach to media consumption can help us resist manipulation and develop intellectual autonomy.
1. Media and Power: Manufacturing Consent in the Age of Control
Barad emphasizes that no study of culture is complete without understanding power, and in the modern world, power largely operates through media. He draws upon Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s theory of the “Five Filters” — media ownership, advertising, media elite, flak, and the common enemy — to illustrate how mass media functions as a system of control rather than a neutral platform for truth.
According to Chomsky, these filters determine what becomes “news” and how it is presented, ensuring that the dominant political and corporate interests are protected. Barad notes that media thus creates an illusion of democracy: people believe they are free to choose, but their choices are carefully shaped by structures of representation. For example, television news channels often claim objectivity but are owned by corporations with political ties. Similarly, social media algorithms amplify certain narratives, subtly reinforcing ideological divisions and consumerist behavior.
From my own observation, this dynamic is visible in how celebrity culture and political propaganda dominate online spaces. Platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram reward sensationalism over truth. This aligns with Chomsky’s critique — media manufactures consent not through coercion but through seduction: it feeds us what we already want to believe. Thus, media becomes a tool of power that governs our perceptions of what is normal, desirable, or even real.
2. The Role of Education: Beyond the Classroom, Toward Critical Consciousness
In the final section of his blog, Barad highlights Noam Chomsky’s concept of the “truly educated person”, arguing that education should liberate, not domesticate, the human mind. True education, according to Chomsky, means cultivating the ability to inquire and create constructively, independently, and without external control. It is less about covering a syllabus and more about discovering one’s intellectual autonomy.
This idea challenges traditional notions of education that prioritize memorization, standardization, and conformity. The conventional system often treats students as empty vessels to be filled with information rather than as critical thinkers capable of questioning dominant ideologies. In contrast, Barad — echoing the spirit of Cultural Studies — calls for an education that encourages interdisciplinary thinking, unlearning, and political awareness.
In today’s media-saturated society, I believe being truly educated also means being media literate — understanding how messages are constructed, how images manipulate emotion, and how algorithms shape thought. A truly educated person is not merely informed but self-reflective, aware of how their worldview is mediated. For instance, when encountering a viral political video, the educated response is not to react instantly but to ask: Who created this? For what purpose? Whose voice is missing here?
Such questioning resists passive consumption and fosters what Paulo Freire called “conscientização” — critical consciousness. It transforms education from a process of social adaptation to one of social transformation.
3. Cultural Practices: Representation, Marginalization, and Resistance
Barad’s post implicitly links media representation with cultural power — the idea that whoever controls media controls the narrative of identity. Drawing from theorists like Raymond Williams and Jean Baudrillard, we can see how media not only reflects but actively constructs culture. Advertising, entertainment, and news define what is “normal” and what is “other.”
This process is especially significant in how marginalized groups are portrayed. Stereotypes about women, minorities, or the poor are often reproduced by media institutions serving dominant interests. For example, television dramas may show women as emotional and dependent, or portray working-class characters as lazy or ignorant. Such portrayals are not neutral — they reinforce existing hierarchies of gender, class, and race.
However, Barad also hints that media can become a site of resistance. Cultural Studies, after all, seeks to “transcend high and low culture” and to explore how subcultures and marginalized voices use media to challenge dominance. Today, digital platforms have enabled grassroots activism — from the #MeToo movement to Dalit activism in India — giving visibility to those historically excluded from mainstream narratives.
For instance, independent YouTube creators or social media activists often use humor, satire, or storytelling to disrupt hegemonic discourse. This aligns with Stuart Hall’s idea that audiences can “decode” media messages oppositely — using the same tools of representation to fight back. Thus, while media perpetuates inequality, it also provides the means to resist and reimagine culture.
4. Critical Media Consumption: Toward Intellectual Freedom
Reflecting on my own habits, I realize how deeply media shapes my daily life — from the music I listen to and the news I trust, to the opinions I form about politics or culture. I often scroll through social media feeds without questioning the sources or the emotional triggers built into the content. Barad’s discussion of partisanship — the psychological bias that aligns our beliefs with our group identity — reveals how easily we can become prisoners of our own ideological bubbles.
Developing critical media literacy requires conscious effort. It means slowing down, cross-checking sources, and acknowledging the biases of both the content and the consumer. It involves recognizing that every image, word, or sound we encounter is part of a larger discourse of power. As Foucault reminds us, knowledge and power are intertwined: to control knowledge is to control people.
By engaging critically with media, we reclaim a measure of autonomy. We stop being mere consumers and become active interpreters. This transformation — from passive spectators to reflective participants — is the essence of being a “truly educated person.” Education, then, is not confined to universities; it is a lifelong process of questioning, interpreting, and resisting manipulation.
In practical terms, I have started curating my digital feed — following independent journalists, subscribing to alternative podcasts, and spending more time reading long-form essays rather than short viral posts. These small acts represent a move toward intellectual self-discipline and awareness — qualities Chomsky associates with genuine education.
Conclusion
Dilip Barad’s “Cultural Studies: Media, Power, and the Truly Educated Person” ultimately teaches that understanding culture today requires understanding how media and power operate together. Media is not merely a reflection of society but an active force that shapes our desires, fears, and beliefs. Power, in turn, hides behind the façade of freedom, manipulating consent through ownership, advertising, and ideology.
Yet, the blog offers hope: through critical education and media literacy, individuals can resist these forces. To be truly educated, as Barad and Chomsky suggest, is to think independently, to question authority, and to connect knowledge across disciplines. It is to recognize that every act of reading, watching, or sharing is political — that culture is not something we inherit but something we continuously create.
In a world saturated with images and information, the truly educated person is not the one who knows the most but the one who questions the best.
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