Which of the following theories suggests that the media serves the interests of the ruling bourgeois elite?

Marxism posits that the media is a tool used by the ruling bourgeois elite to maintain power and control over the proletariat. This perspective highlights how media representation often reflects the interests of those in power, perpetuating ideologies that favor the elite while marginalizing alternative viewpoints and dissenting voices.

In a Marxist framework, the media does not merely serve as a means of communication but acts as an ideological apparatus that helps maintain the status quo. By controlling the narrative and what information is disseminated to the public, the ruling class influences societal values, beliefs, and norms, thereby reinforcing their dominance. This explains why the assertion about the media serving the interests of the ruling bourgeois elite aligns with Marxist theory.

The other theories mentioned—liberalism, functionalism, and symbolic interactionism—approach the study of media and society differently. Liberalism focuses on individual freedoms and the marketplace of ideas, functionalism examines social institutions and their roles in maintaining societal stability, and symbolic interactionism emphasizes the meanings and interactions within society rather than systemic power dynamics. These alternative perspectives do not prioritize the idea of media as a tool for the ruling elite in the same manner that Marxism does.