Deck 20: Sociological Perspectives on the Media

Question 1

Which of the following would the functionalist perspective most likely view as creating the greatest collective experience?

A)a college student studying quietly in the library
B)a person exercising in a public park
C)the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001
D)police arresting a shoplifter

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which nation has the largest number of the top 100 worldwide brands?

A)Germany
B)Japan
C)United States
D)Great Britain

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following terms is used by sociologists to refer to print and electronic means of communication that carry messages to widespread audiences?

A)transmitters
B)opinion leaders
C)mass media
D)narcotizers

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Sociologist Robert Park studied

A)the history of radio broadcasting.
B)how newspapers helped immigrants to the U.S.adjust to their environments and taught them the customs and opinions of people in their new home country.
C)the role the Internet played in the aftermath of the September 11,2001 tragedy.
D)rock music as a social problem.

Question 5

Which sociologist purported that newspapers helped to socialize immigrants to the customs and culture of the U.S.?

A)Robert Park
B)Deena Weinstein
C)Paul Lazarsfeld
D)David Demers

Question 6

What were the primary media vehicles by which people bonded in the U.S.during,and in the aftermath of,the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001?

A)television,radio,and phones
B)phones and Internet
C)newspapers and television
D)Internet,radio,and television

Question 7

Which of the following would have the greatest impact in terms of reaffirming social norms of proper behavior?

A)watching a televised funeral procession
B)watching and listening to a Celine Dion video
C)watching and listening to a televised cable newscast
D)watching a televised execution of a mass murderer

Question 8

People ignoring credible warnings about terrorist attacks due to the massive amounts of coverage in the aftermath of September 11,2001,is an example of

A)gatekeeping.
B)the surveillance function.
C)the narcotizing dysfunction.
D)the dominant ideology.

Question 9

If someone failed to contribute money because massive amounts of media coverage made him or her less sensitive to the needs of victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti,this would be an example of

A)selfishness.
B)the narcotizing effect.
C)globalization.
D)socialization.

Question 10

Magazines would be considered

A)transmitters.
B)opinion leaders.
C)mass media.
D)narcotizers.

Question 11

Communities developing around common interests or shared identities that are emerging online is referred to in the text as

A)interactive niches.
B)tribalism.
C)online nests.
D)identity cells.

Question 12

Which of the following terms refers to the phenomenon whereby massive amounts of coverage result in the audience becoming numb and failing to act on the information regardless of how compelling the issue was presented?

A)narcotizing dysfunction
B)surveillance function
C)gatekeeping
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 13

Which of the following would be an example of cyberbullying?

A)sending a photo of a friend drunk to others
B)sending a photo of a friend cheating to others
C)sending a nude photo of a friend to others
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 14

Which of the following is considered one way the media reaffirm proper behavior in society?

A)newscasters discussing narcotic desensitizing
B)a daytime talk show discussion on homosexuality
C)movie and TV scenes showing criminals getting caught by authorities
D)movie and TV scenes depicting the rape of women

Question 15

The function of media advertising is to support the economy,provide information about products,and underwrite media costs associated with

A)conferment of status.
B)promotion of consumption.
C)enforcement of social norms.
D)surveillance of the social environment.

Question 16

What term do we use for the flow of content across multiple media and the accompanying migration of media audiences?

A)cultural convergence
B)digital divide
C)culture gap
D)information superhighway

Question 17

Which of the following have sociologists suggested is a dysfunction of the mass media?

A)conferring status
B)having a narcotizing effect
C)integration of a common view
D)providing a collective experience

Question 18

People,organizations,and public issues appearing regularly on the covers of prominent magazines is a method used to

A)confer status.
B)celebrate events.
C)provide fortune.
D)promote objectivity in reporting.

Question 19

Which sociological perspective would likely contend that the role of the mass media is to provide socialization,enforce social norms through public events,and create social stability and cohesion through collective experiences?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 20

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to focus on the functions of the mass media in conferring status on people,organizations,and public issues?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 21

What is the term used for the set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social,economic,and political interests?

A)gatekeeping
B)the surveillance function
C)the narcotizing dysfunction
D)the dominant ideology

Question 22

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to focus on gatekeeping as a process that reflects a desire to maximize profits by those with power and authority?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 23

How many primetime series out of nearly sixty-aired in recent years-did researchers find focused on minority performers?

A)2
B)13
C)24
D)41

Question 24

Eli Pariser wrote The Filter Bubble,which discusses the

A)competition between search engines.
B)monopoly created by Google.
C)way in which search engines filter our searches to what we are already familiar with.
D)access or lack of access created by the digital divide in the United States.

Question 25

Which medium experiences the least amount of gatekeeping?

A)television
B)radio
C)the Internet
D)publishing

Question 26

Which sociologist(s)first identified the effects of viewer fatigue and created the term narcotizing dysfunction?

A)Robert Park
B)Deena Weinstein
C)Paul Lazarsfeld and Robert Merton
D)David Demers

Question 27

In the U.S. ,one out of every four women is considered obese.How many characters are portrayed as obese on television?

A)less than 1 out of 100
B)3 out of 100
C)20 out of 100
D)30 out of 100

Question 28

The creation of unreliable generalizations that distort the reality of persons,groups,and cultures is indicative of

A)posture enabling.
B)the surveillance function.
C)the narcotizing dysfunction.
D)stereotyping.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

A)The narcotizing dysfunction of the media was identified in the 1980s after the deluge of cable news programming.
B)Massive amounts of information tend to numb and desensitize an audience.
C)The numbing effect of the narcotizing dysfunction may prevent people from taking action in response to compelling issues.
D)Paul Lazarsfeld and Robert Merton created the term narcotizing dysfunction.

Question 30

George is the executive producer of a small recording company with an established label.He rejects a popular local band because it competes with a group already on their label.He functions as a

A)gatekeeper.
B)censor.
C)comptroller.
D)watchdog.

Question 31

There is very little representation of the racial diversity of the U.S.on television,even though ________ percent of all youths in the U.S.are children of color.

A)77
B)58
C)45
D)27

Question 32

Worldwide,low-income groups,racial and ethnic minorities,rural residents,and the citizens of developing countries have far less access than others to the latest technologies.This gap is referred to as the

A)digital enclosure.
B)digital world.
C)digital dam.
D)digital divide.

Question 33

Which sociological perspective would be most likely to support the idea that a dominant ideology is created through media images and is used to construct a reality based on protecting the interests of the powerful?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 34

A major network news agency that discourages reporting of issues concerning homosexuality is most likely practicing

A)a dominant ideology.
B)a narcotizing dysfunction.
C)a surveillance function.
D)gatekeeping.

Question 35

The U.S.is a major player in the global media domain.However,other nations play a role in creating a dominant ideology,as evidenced by the popularity of ________,which originated in Sweden.

A)CSI
B)Survivor
C)Fear Factor
D)Friends

Question 36

Which sociological perspective(s)would be most likely to emphasize that the mass media exacerbate many divisions in our society,including those based on gender,race,ethnicity,and social class?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict and feminist perspectives
C)interactionist perspective
D)global and interactionist perspectives

Question 37

The term media monitoring is used most often to refer to

A)parents checking what their child watches.
B)the government censoring media.
C)interest groups' monitoring of content.
D)studios following what is a "hit."

Question 38

Realistic portrayals of minorities and working-class persons tend to be ignored by mass media decision-makers primarily because

A)viewers only enjoy fantasizing about being rich and powerful.
B)most decisions are driven by Nielsen ratings.
C)most decisions are made overwhelmingly by wealthy White males.
D)minorities and working-class people feel ashamed of their social position.

Question 39

The U.S.government was heavily criticized for which of the following media monitoring behaviors after the September 11,2001,attacks?

A)censoring college newspaper Internet content
B)editing Clear Channel Radio news program broadcasts
C)censoring ABC Nightly News reports
D)authorizing wiretaps of U.S.citizens' telephone conversations

Question 40

The process by which a relatively small number of people control what eventually reaches the audience is referred to as

A)the dominant ideology.
B)gatekeeping.
C)the surveillance function.
D)the narcotizing dysfunction.

Question 41

Which sociological perspective would most likely be concerned with manipulation of "photo ops" to create an image of self-serving reality?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 42

Which of the following statements concerning media portrayal of gender roles would the feminist perspective most likely endorse?

A)Women are overrepresented in most television roles.
B)Women are often portrayed as being in need of rescue by males.
C)Men are often portrayed as compliant,working-class persons.
D)Women are portrayed as overweight and dull in most television roles.

Question 43

According to data collected in 2009 concerning the use of the Internet,

A)women are more likely than men to join fantasy leagues.
B)women are more likely to use the Internet daily.
C)women are more likely to use email to maintain friendship networks.
D)about half of women use the Internet daily.

Question 44

Discuss the role of the media from the conflict perspective.Define the term gatekeeping and give examples to illustrate its effects on society.

Question 45

Discuss how the recent war with Iraq may have had a narcotizing effect for some viewers,and provide illustrations to support your answer.

Question 46

Twenty-two percent of viewers who watch the Super Bowl do so only for the commercials.

Question 47

Which sociological perspective is more likely to study the media's influence on society from the micro level to determine how social behavior is shaped?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 48

The narcotizing dysfunction can desensitize an audience to suffering and can influence the degree to which that audience might conclude that a solution to a crisis has already been found.

Question 49

A producer who declines adding a gay character to a storyline because she feels it would "upset certain audience members" is performing a gatekeeping role.

Question 50

Fans of the TV show Star Trek (known as Trekkies)meet in costume at a convention celebrating the anniversary of the show's conception.Which sociological perspective would be most likely to focus attention on this event?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 51

The media often reaffirm proper behavior by showing what happens to people who violate social expectations.

Question 52

Discuss the role of the media from the functionalist perspective and give examples to illustrate the impact of the media on social life.

Question 53

Which sociological perspective is most likely to be concerned with television distorting gender roles and stereotyping,often rooted in the media's willingness to promote more traditional views?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 54

Discuss how the interactionist view is useful in analyzing the role of the audience when trying to understand the impact of the media on social life.

Question 55

The definition of screen time has changed as new mass media like the Internet have been developed.

Question 56

Among the major sociological perspectives of functionalism,conflict theory,interactionism,and the feminist perspective,conflict theorists would be most likely to suggest that the mass media serve a useful function in society by bringing members together in a collective experience.

Question 57

How many contributors who texted donations after the Haitian earthquakes encouraged friends and family to do the same?

A)17%
B)25%
C)43%
D)57%

Question 58

Female and male athletes are treated equitably by the media.

Question 59

Globalization of the dominant ideology has weakened the dominating reach of the U.S.into the rest of the world.

Question 60

Discuss the similarities between the conflict perspective and feminist perspective regarding the significance of the media in shaping social attitudes.