The Matrix Ideology

Despite its racially diverse population and wide variety of distinct socioeconomic groups, American society maintains an astoundingly stable cultural narrative. While every nation must maintain a relatively steady societal identity, American ideology has traditionally favored conservative attitudes. While such a stance provides protections against radical infringements upon individual rights, it also leads to entrenched attitudes, polarized beliefs, and rigid resistance to progressive reforms. Absolute individual conformance to long established belief systems serves to perpetuate such narratives, strengthening their standing without encouraging renewed discourse.
Modification of established cultural narratives can be occasionally accomplished
The trilogy spawned not only an extensive fan base, but also an unusually high number of intellectual assessments attempting to understand its philosophical symbolism and claims. Critically for this discussion, the main notion central to The Matrix is that of doubt in the certainty of the status quo; the assertion that the world as one sees it may actually be a shared illusion. Therefore, it serves as an excellent platform to initiate significant re- evaluation of entrenched cultural narratives among a passive mass audience.
Through an analysis of notable scenes, major dialogue, and overarching themes, it is possible to deduce major influences that The Matrix trilogy may implicitly pass to media illiterate consumers. It will also be important to discuss notable epistemological theories of knowledge put forth by the likes of Descartes, Hobbes, and Nozick. Furthermore, some attention must be given to the possible mechanisms of media influence, a subject investigated by social psychologist Karen Dill. Finally, it will be necessary to understand how heavily concepts within The Matrix have been assimilated into American culture, and how they may be used to alter established conservative