Deck 7: Jamming Media and Popular Culture: Analyzing Messages About Diverse Cultures

Question 1

Media can be defined as the ______ through which messages are communicated.

A) industry
B) modes, means, or channels
C) technology
D) institution

Answer 1

modes, means, or channels

Question 2

Culture jamming is

A) the act of altering or transforming mass media and popular culture forms into messages or commentary about itself.
B) a way to reproduce and support dominant readings of mainstream texts.
C) a way to conform to dominant mainstream media
D) a way to reinforce messages from the corporate media.

Answer 2

the act of altering or transforming mass media and popular culture forms into messages or commentary about itself.

Question 3

The different interpretations of Pocahontas by children of Euro-American descent, urban Native American children, and Native American children on reservation suggests that

A) the audience's positionality shapes the kind of meaning drawn from media.
B) all children enjoy watching Pocahontas one way or another.
C) Native American children necessarily have an oppositional reading of the film.
D) Pocahontas has a universal appeal to children from various backgrounds.

Answer 3

the audience's positionality shapes the kind of meaning drawn from media.

Question 4

The Just Do It! Boycott Nike Now campaign is an example of

A) taking informed action in refusing to consume media and popular culture that dehumanize groups of people.
B) decoding hegemonic readings of popular culture texts.
C) supporting mainstream corporations who create positive social change.
D) supporting underpaid workers by buying products from major brands.

Question 5

Fragmegration refers to

A) the dual and simultaneous dynamic of integration and fragmentation that has emerged in the context of globalization.
B) the tendency of mediascapes to migrate in the context of globalization.
C) the blend of media circuits in the context of globalization.
D) the tendency of media representations to both localize and globalize.

Question 6

Intercultural communication scholars are interested in popular culture representation because

A) it gives us authentic representations of various cultural groups.
B) most people rely on popular culture for information about other cultural groups.
C) people all over the world assign the same meaning to popular culture representations.
D) popular culture is one arena where power differences are insignificant.

Question 7

Nina is interested in gaining insight into negotiated and oppositional readings about current events. She is likely to find these perspectives from which of the following sources?

A) News and commentary from major newspapers in the United States
B) News and commentary sources independent from corporate interests
C) News and commentary from major media networks
D) News and commentary from celebrities

Question 8

Sean loves the movie Titanic because of its universal appeal to the power of love. He is engaging in

A) dominant reading of the movie.
B) negotiated reading of the movie.
C) oppositional reading of the movie.
D) contested reading of the movie.

Question 9

Cultural homogenization takes place when a set of cultural values and practices are

A) lost in the process of globalization.
B) appropriated in the process of globalization.
C) diversified in the process of globalization.
D) shared and made common through globalization.

Question 10

Encoding is ___________, and decoding is__________

A) the process of creating a message; the process of interpreting a message.
B) the process of interpreting a message; the process of creating a message.
C) the oppositional reading; the dominant reading.
D) the dominant reading; the oppositional reading.

Question 11

Alternative or independent media refers to

A) media that present a viewpoint in alignment with multinational corporate interests.
B) media practices that fall outside of or are separate from corporate-owned mass media.
C) media that present a viewpoint from a consolidated media perspective.
D) media that practices and reproduce dominant ideologies.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT true about the dominant reading of media text?

A) The interpretation is consistent with the dominant ideologies and norms.
B) The interpretation is consistent with what was intended by the encoder/media producer.
C) The interpretation challenges the social norms and expectations.
D) The interpretation provides a preferred reading of the text.

Question 13

Popular culture can be defined as

A) culture that belongs to people in the upper class.
B) culture that is shared and understood by most people in society.
C) culture that belongs to people with education and skilled training.
D) culture that is shared and understood by specific subgroups of society.

Question 14

What does cultural imperialism refer to?

A) Domination of one group over others through the spread of cultural forms, practices, and products.
B) The idea that many White people are superior to people of color.
C) The technological advancement of the United States in media forms.
D) The resistance of people in the United States to popular culture forms from other countries.

Question 15

The predominance of U.S. media and popular culture internationally has

A) been instrumental in constructing a global semiculture where people from far-reaching countries share some aspects of U.S. popular culture.
B) resulted in the pervasiveness of U.S. popular culture and English that strengthened local cultures and languages.
C) increased the cultural and linguistic diversity around the world.
D) improved the image of U.S. culture.

Question 16

The model of encoding and decoding shows how

A) the audience decodes the message according to what was intended by the encoder or media producer.
B) there is only one way of interpreting media texts.
C) the audience uses their own framework of knowledge to decode the message.
D) the audience is a passive consumer who believes in everything in the media.

Question 17

Laura thinks the movie Spider-Man is generally a good movie but she questions the stereotypical portrayal of the female character. She is engaging in

A) negotiated reading.
B) oppositional reading.
C) dominant reading.
D) interpretive reading.

Question 18

Which of the following is not one of Hall's ways of reading popular culture?

A) Hidden reading
B) Dominant reading
C) Negotiated reading
D) Oppositional reading

Question 19

The term ______ has been coined to describe the dual and simultaneous dynamic of integration and fragmentation that has emerged in the context of globalization.

A) inter-fragmenting
B) fragmented integration
C) fragmegration
D) integemntation

Question 20

Cultural ______ is the convergence toward common cultural values and practices as a result of global integration.

A) control
B) homogenization
C) imperialism
D) corruption

Question 21

Popular culture produces ideologies in the form of entertainment

Question 22

Media and popular culture are interchangeable terms.

Question 23

Media and popular culture remain segregated according to the national boundaries.

Question 24

Culture industries mass produce standardized cultural goods.

Question 25

Popular culture serves social functions.

Question 26

Films, TV programs, and popular music are inconsequential forms of entertainment.

Question 27

Encoding refers to the active interpretative and sense-making processes of audiences

Question 28

A negotiated reading is one where the reader or viewer generally shares the codes and preferred meanings of the texts, but may also resist and modify the encoded meaning based on her or his positionality, interests, and experiences resulting in a contradictory reading of the text.

Question 29

Alternate news sources are not as legitimate as mainstream sources.

Question 30

Media and popular culture serve as primary channels through which we learn about groups who are different from ourselves, as well as make sense of who we are.

Question 31

Briefly discuss how popular culture affects intercultural communication in the context of globalization.

Question 32

Define culture industry and cultural imperialism. Discuss how they relate to each other in the context of globalization.

Question 33

Define fragmegration and provide an example.

Question 34

Briefly explain three steps you can take to develop your competence as both consumer and producer of popular culture.

Question 35

People outside of the United States are exposed to a large amount of U.S. popular culture, whereas American people are rarely exposed to popular culture of foreign countries. How do you think this asymmetrical global flow of popular culture influences intercultural communication?