Term
| Why does Adorno prefer the term "culture industry" instead of the term "mass culture"? |
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Definition
| Mass culture makes it sound as if the audience (masses) have control over the media. Culture industry is more precise since they are the makers of entertainment and pop culture. |
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Term
| Explain Kuhn's claim that meaning "circulate[s] between representation, spectator and social formation" |
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Definition
| For example, female representation of a model affects spectators by seeing this image as the norm, hence enforcing a gender stereotype in our society's social formation. Basically meaning enters a cycle that bounces back and forth between these terms. |
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Term
| Explain Benjamin's claim that mechanical production resulted in the loss of the "aura" |
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Definition
| Mechanical reproduction is the reproduction of a medium such as an artistic piece. Aura is the certain something that can only be found in an original artwork that would give it authenticity. Reproduction results in the loss of an original's aura. |
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Term
| Why doesn't Hall like the traditional model of mass communication? Why does he think that his model is better? |
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Definition
| Hall found the traditional model to be too linear and simple (sender>message>receiver). He preferred his complex model that included encoding and decoding. He felt a message was first encoded (created) then sent out before being decoded (interpreted) before the message was received and the encoder could then determine if the media was read as intended. |
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Term
| Explain McLuhan's claim that the medium is the message? |
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Definition
| Medium is more important than the content passing through it. For example if you send your friend an email, this content is not nearly as important than the creation of the web itself. |
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Term
| Why did Benjamin argue that cinema was a revolutionary medium? |
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Definition
| The cinema was a way that people became aware of themselves as a mass by experiencing a film all at the same time. He also believed that people instantly became critics by watching films. People also learned about film making just by watching. |
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Term
| How does de Certeau define "consumption"? What are the implications of this definition? |
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Definition
| Consumption is production even when it's not physical or visible (often called silent production). An individual can be privately decoding information. A person watching TV though not visibly or vocally conveying something doesn't mean they aren't dissecting it in their mind. |
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Term
| According to Habermas, what is the "public sphere"? What does it do? What does it need to exist? |
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Definition
| Public sphere is a place where people can go to discuss things that affect the public as a whole (like education or laws). It allows people to venture out of their private lives and gives them access to those that affect public issues, like the state (people in charge, senators, governors). In order for the public sphere to exist, the state must ensure it; meaning the state must protect all laws and rights to public freedom. The public sphere cannot exist without the protective power of the government. |
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Term
| Discuss the implications of the Camera Club's claim that "the camera is nothing, a mere implement, like a painter's brush." |
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Definition
| They would be artists even without the camera. The camera is just a tool of which they use to portray their artistic genius. The same way a painter uses a paintbrush to show his genius, photographers use a camera. They believe that it's not what medium they use that's important, it's the man behind it. |
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Term
| Briefly explain the three "hypothetic positions from which decodings of a televisual discourse may be constructed," according to Hall. |
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Definition
Dominant-hegemonic: this means that one understands the message, agrees with it, and is likely to act upon it.
Negotiated: is when people understand the message, agree with it, but choose to not put it into practice.
Oppositional: meaning that one understands the message but doesn't agree with or see merit in the message. |
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Term
| According to Halloran, why shouldn't influence be equated with attitude change? |
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Definition
| The idea of attitude change is too complex. The idea of influence might work, but won't exactly cause change. There is a lot more that goes into what causes people's behavior to change. It's simple enough on paper, but because of how simple it is, it won't work in real life. It takes more than something on TV to change someone right then and there. (For example a person against immigration might become empathetic watching a documentary about a specific immigrant, but it doesn’t change their large idea of immigration) |
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Term
What does Halloran claim to be the implication(s) of
the studies that he discusses? |
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Definition
It's misleading to think of TV solely in terms of visual impact. It's impact is more complex because of the complexity of the medium. People bring their prior beliefs when watching TV, then project those beliefs on what they watch, changing or controlling how someone reacts to a program. It's a form of bias. It limits their intended effect of a program. Different interpretations and impressions are made. People both notice and ignore certain aspects because of their beliefs and level of knowledge. TV does have an effect, but it's hard to test just what.
Different people get different things out of the same program, indicating that it could be misleading to think of the effects of TV solely in terms of visual impact. People bring their prior beliefs in, their filters, and must view through this. This leads to a bias that limits the intended effect of any program. |
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Term
| According to McQuail what is wrong with the "escapist" theory of media consumption? |
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Definition
| It assumes an unselective audience. People actively choose whether to watch TV and what they want to watch. It also assumes people are always choosing to watch TV instead of doing something more worthwhile, thinking that it makes people more lazy and less inclined to do actual work. It assumes a passive audience and that people are uninvolved with what's going on with TV. The relation between TV and the audience is seen as simplistic. |
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Term
What characterizes the four main patterns of
gratifications and uses that viewers seek from quiz
programs (according to McQuail)?
-Surveillance
-Personal identity
-Personal Relationships
-Diversion |
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Definition
Surveillance-information gathering;mapping
Personal Identity-insight to yourself, personal reference, reality exploration
Personal Relationships-companionship, social utility
Diversion-escape from constraints, burdens and emotional release |
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Term
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Definition
| News values are the criteria used by newsrooms for the selection and presentation of material |
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Term
| Based on the reading how do assumptions of consensus shape the news? |
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Definition
| How news is delivered and its intended audience is based on an assumption that everyone matches that audience. It assumes that everyone has the same values of what is good, bad or likeable, thus resulting in people having the same or similar values. If it appeals to a broad population of people with similar values, the more likely that people will watch. It shapes delivery, context, and intended meaning towards the audience, whom they assume to be all the same (example: American broadcasts are all in English assuming all watchers will understand it) |
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Term
According to Golding & Elliott and Hall, , how do notions of “objectivity,” “bias,” “balance” and “impartiality” shape news
production? |
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Definition
| The notion of bias is often contrasted with objectivity and for clarity's sake two distinctions should be made. First impartiality implies a disinterest approach to news. Objectivity however is a broader demand than this. To prove you're not partial you use balance, get two people of opposing sides to be nonobjective. |
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Term
Why does MacDonald argue that of the three
modes of documentary experience, testimonial
provides the best opportunity for making the
personal political? |
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Definition
| Testimonial is personal. Saying what you feel or what you know to be true. It allows ideas to be shared with everyone. It allows for a whole truth without someone leading the conversation. It's more real with personal experiences speakers talking in their own words. |
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Term
MacDonald defines four types of “testimony.”
Summarize her claims about why they “demonstrate
how the interlinking between the personal and the
political comes to life” |
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Definition
| People have their own memories of experiences. When combined and compared the truth can be found in it. It gets rid of certain levels of authority on what is true and reveals that not all sources of information are as accredited as they claim to be. Experiences can mask the truths found in it. |
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Term
How does Thornham describe talk shows? Do they
erode boundaries between the public & private? |
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Definition
| Yes. Talk shows are ways for people to stretch beyond their personal selves. Because of the audience, what is private becomes public. It becomes more of a spectacle where people try to relate to the person telling the story. Focuses on the visual display of connection, as well as the emotional display. The audience reacts and adds to the spectacle through their reactions and what they do during the story. Functions as a strategy of entertainment. (example: clap here, boo here, JERRY JERRY) |
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Term
In your own words, define:
-the expository and explanatory narrative modes
(and)
-the realistic and metaphorical visual styles |
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Definition
Expository-hard facts, complete truths (T-Rex's ate meat)
Explanatory-explains in a way other people can understand (T-Rex's are like cheetahs)
Realistic-real footage of what is happening (an iceberg melting)
metaphorical-explaining what is happening with visuals that aren't exactly what the subject is (ice cube melting, like dat berg doh) |
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Term
What does Wernick mean when he claims that we
live in a “promotional culture?” |
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Definition
| We live in a culture where we are constantly being bombarded by advertising trying to get you to do something (buy this, join the army, drive this car). Promotion becomes a part of identity formation, how we see ourselves is determined by what we buy or what we wear. We are also accustomed to promoting more than just goods, we promote people, ideas, industries, businesses, etc. It becomes a practice (you do it as part of your everyday life). |
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Term
What does Williams mean by calling advertising
“the magic system”? |
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Definition
| The magic system associates consumption with real human desires. There are a certain level of tricks being preformed by advertisers to "provide" real human needs. We see this in advertising like tying friendship, love, health, etc. and putting them to products. Example: When you buy a car you aren’t buying a vehicle, you’re buying a feeling of youth. |
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Term
According to Andrejevic, what’s wrong with the
current debate over on-line privacy? |
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Definition
| Online privacy is unstable and at times almost nonexistent. Companies use our data for personal gain, the point of the internet was never to be private. If you wanted something to be private you wouldn't put it where millions could read it. Companies have access to what we think is private. Our activities online become labor for the companies. Example: Lets say you use facebook and on there you have all your info on there (your bday, where you live, your job) that info is more valuable to that company eg facebook the higher your privacy settings become to them. Other companies can't have it, but they will use that information to cater ads to you. |
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Term
According to Andrejevic, how does our desire for
“self-expression and individuation … integrate the
labor of watching with that of being
watched” |
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Definition
| Knowing that you're being watched makes you work harder, and watching your employees can allow you to gather data on how to make your employees be more efficient. Ex: Shovels! People shoveling coal will work harder if you tell them they're being watched. Watching and picking out the most efficient worker and then teaching his techniques to the others will raise efficiency. |
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Term
Do Bull or Sterne considers listening to the mp3 to
be “work”?
Under what conditions might Andrejevic consider
listening to a digital music file to be “work”? |
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Definition
| They don't consider it work even though you're spending time and sometimes money to listen to music. It would depend for Andrejevic, if you're purely ripping music and not giving some sort of input into the experience it isn't work. But if you're streaming in a way that can be tracked or monitored or where you can like something, then yes it becomes work because the companies are getting something out of it. |
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Term
According to Juul, what’s wrong with games that
people claim to be narratives? |
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Definition
| He doesn't think games are narratives. Narratives would limit games because the point of the game is the free choice that players are given. Sticking to a narrative players are given no chance to stray away from a story to make it what they want. |
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Term
Compare Juul’s model of the computer game with
Hall’s encoding / decoding model of the television
program. |
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Definition
| Juul's model is more limited compared to Hall's. Juul tends to be more oppositional in response but they do have some overlap. Juul's program and materials are similar to Hall's framework of knowledge and relations of productions. Where the framework is the program and the relations of productions are the materials. |
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Term
What are the two great “myths” that Ryan attacks?
What characterizes these myths and what is wrong
with them? |
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Definition
Hypertext and Holodeck:
-hypertext promises infinite variety and possibilities allowing huge levels of interactivity. It is limited by having infinite amounts of possibilitie,s you lose the structure that gamers look for in their games (they want a point to their playing not to be dropped into a void)
-holodeck is virtual reality that writes the story as you do it. Limited when character and story types become threatened. Emotional ties and investments become painful. If your character is harmed you no longer want to play, it becomes too real and hurts too much. |
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Term
| What are the various strategic positions available to the player? |
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Definition
Internal Exploratory-avatar inside the game, and you're there to explore, not making changes (detective games, just finding stuff)
External Exploratory-Outside the game and the point is to just explore the world (solitaire, crossword puzzles)
Internal Ontological-avatar in game where you control decisions and outcomes in the game (from beating a boss to influential as in changing the path the game takes, animal crossing)
External Ontological-you're outside the game but you're basically god (sims, black and white 2) |
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Term
What are the patterns of gratifications and uses
identified by McQuail? |
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Definition
Surveillance-information gathering
Personal identity-insight to yourself, personal reference, reality exploration
Personal relationships-companionship, social utility
Diversion-escape from constraints, burdens, and emotional release |
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Term
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Definition
| Criteria used by newsrooms to determine what stories to broadcast or print |
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Term
| What characterizes the final modes for presenting women's lives, as defined by Macdonald? |
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Definition
Confessional-where the viewer is on the outside looking in, we are seeing someone confess to the camera
Case Study-regular people support and exemplify a documentary's central narrative or thesis
Testimony-evidence given by speakers in their own words |
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Term
According to Williams and Wernick, how has
advertising changed society? |
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Definition
| Both say advertising is the idea that by sending out a message people will eventually listen. It has brought out cultural expression by means of economic need. It changed our view of what's normal in the world around us. It tells us what people generally want, need, or have. Billboards are commonplace and we accept it as natural surroundings. We relate who we are to what we see, it affects our way of thinking, our relationships, and our wants and needs. |
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