Ideology and everyday life. From Marx to Žižek

Abstract

This article provides a critical overview of the concept of ideology in the works of Karl Marx, Louis Althusser, and Slavoj Žižek, aiming to explain how ideology structures everyday life and sustains symbolic forms of domination across historical contexts. The central argument is that ideology is not merely a set of false ideas but a framework that shapes social perception and legitimizes economic, political, and cultural power relations. Methodologically, the study carries out a comparative reading of key texts by the three thinkers, tracing a conceptual evolution: from Marx’s critique of false consciousness and commodity fetishism, to Althusser’s theory of the Ideological State Apparatuses and the interpellation of subjects, and finally to Žižek’s contemporary formulation of ideology as a fantasy that organizes social reality. The analysis shows how ideology operates in both authoritarian regimes and neoliberal democracies through media discourse, educational institutions, cultural practices, and economic structures that mold subjective experience. Among its contributions, the article connects these theoretical frameworks to current phenomena such as media manipulation, racism, antisemitism, consumer culture, and the legitimation of global capitalism. The overarching objective is to provide conceptual tools to identify the ideological dimension of reality and promote a critical awareness of its effects on everyday life.