Deck 4: Media and Communication

Question 1

Mass media refers to:

A) Specific technology, limited to television, television, and the movie industry.
B) All technological devises and processes that facilitate mass communication
C) Communication devices developed in the 20^th century and later that are highly technological and complex.
D) Technologies that limit communication to particular and preselected masses.
E) None of the above

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Chapter 4, which of the following does not describe earlier approaches to the study of mass media?

A) Mass media and popular culture were perceived as entertainment, and thus relatively unimportant.
B) Popular culture was lowering cultural standards by showing sexual and violent media content.
C) Mass culture was viewed as a means of indoctrinating the working class
D) Mass media is a means of intellectual and moral leadership that groups constantly struggle for.
E) None of the above

Answer 2

E

Question 3

How was the mass media coverage of September 11^th different from everyday mass media coverage?

A) Mass media coverage of September 11^th was more sensationalized than everyday media coverage.
B) Viewer ratings skyrocketed during and in the aftermath of September 11^th
C) Rather than acting as competitors in a media market, media conglomerates shared resources and prioritized providing a public service over making a profit.
D) The audience for mass media coverage of September 11^th was much younger than the average television news audience.
E) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Chapter 4 likens the cultural products of the mass media to a

A) Sea in which we swim
B) Breakfast that we consume
C) Play that we produce, direct, and act in
D) Factory in which we work on the assembly line
E) None of the above

Question 5

Various means of communication, such as news articles, television shows, books or advertising, can be referred to as:

A) Cultural products
B) Texts
C) Class structures
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is one difference between television and newspaper function?

A) In a time of crisis, newspapers are able to serve a broader function than television.
B) Television specializes in gathering and reporting news, whereas newspapers focus on highlighting the significance of current events.
C) Television has the capacity to immediately transmit powerful, relatively unedited images. As a result, television is subject to stricter regulation by government agencies.
D) Television is located in the home and is a part of everyday routines, thus giving television programming a reassuring familiarity.
E) None of the above

Question 7

The specific task or goal of a cultural product, such as to inform and entertain, refers to its:

A) Function
B) Production
C) Reception
D) Consumption
E) None of the above

Question 8

The way that a cultural product is interacted with, such as on the subway or in the living room, refers to its:

A) Function
B) Production
C) Reception
D) Consumption
E) None of the above

Question 9

The way in which a cultural product is created and transmitted refers to its:

A) Function
B) Production
C) Reception
D) Consumption
E) None of the above

Question 10

Which of the following might describe a cultural approach to mass media?

A) Sociologists study the form and content of mass media texts, written and visual, and the ways that these texts are interpreted and used.
B) Sociologists study the technological and organizational developments of mass media.
C) Sociologists study the effects of early radio and television broadcasting on economic growth and decline.
D) Sociologists study the ownership structure and means of production in mass media.
E) All of the above

Question 11

How did the findings of the Gatekeeper Studies influence the sociology of mass media's progress?

A) The Gatekeeper Studies revealed that certain individuals in control of mass media institutions dominated which cultural products were produced and which were ignored. This directed the sociology of mass media's attention toward a 'power elite.'
B) The Gatekeeper Studies emphasized that stories are produced (or not) for a variety of reasons, including personal bias, political factors, and organized production factors. As a result, the sociology of mass media began to consider mass media as cultural texts created by people in organizations with social constraints.
C) The Gatekeeper Studies considered factors that restrict minority access to mass media. In response, the sociology of mass media began to focus on the racialized and gendered elements of cultural production.
D) The Gatekeeper Studies did not influence the sociology of mass media's progress.
E) None of the above

Question 12

What is one implication of Stuart Hall and his colleagues' 'map of meaning' theory of journalism?

A) When news events fall outside of immediate comprehension, the media must struggle to fit the events to existing maps of meanings, in order to make the incomprehensible comprehensible.
B) Journalism makes news events sensible by placing them in the context of a culture's existing codes and narratives.
C) By interpreting news events correctly, journalism is able to predict future events more accurately.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) All of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of existing theories of media reception?

A) Media consumers are passive audiences, absorbing whatever values and information the mass media 'injects' into them.
B) Media consumers are critical and informed. Women, for example, may recognize the patriarchal ideology of a television show, but can still enjoy the program.
C) Media consumers are likely to interpret the same program differently based on age, gender, and race.
D) Media reception is not static, but varies based on what role the media plays in every day activities.
E) All of the above

Question 14

According to Ron Lembo's theory of television viewing habits, individuals interact with television differently at different periods of the day. Which of the following are the four categories on Lembo's 'continuum of mindfulness' that describe these different interactions?

A) Habitual, escapist, playful, and reflective
B) Responsive, indifferent, concerned, and engaged
C) Adult, primetime, rerun, and sitcom
D) Single task, multi-task, focused, and distracted
E) None of the above

Question 15

In what way might talk shows on television or the radio be considered postmodern phenomena?

A) They are pre-scheduled and rehearsed cultural products that are very carefully produced and managed.
B) Participation in these programs is limited to those who reflect dominant norms and values.
C) They turn the individuals search for an 'authentic self' into entertainment, and challenge the idea that there is any single route to self fulfillment.
D) Both a and c, but not b
E) All of the above

Question 16

As a result of the Internet, some social theorists are starting to theorize what kind of society?

A) Infrastructure society
B) Multi-access society
C) Network society
D) Technological
E) None of the above

Question 17

What do DeBord's 'society of the spectacle' and Baudrillard's 'simulacra' have in common?

A) They both refer to an increase in sexuality and scandals in cultural products.
B) They are both concepts used to describe the phenomenon in which postmodern mass media distances individuals from reality, instead producing only representations of reality.
C) They both refer to the way in which television and print news coverage has deviated away from objective presentation of facts toward infotainment.
D) They have nothing in common. 'Society of the spectacle' refers to the phenomenon that mass media has become more entertainment centered, focusing on 'hot stories' rather than information. 'Simulacra' refers to the increase in scientific knowledge that permeates cultural products in postmodern society.
E) None of the above

Question 18

Which of the following statements accurately depicts the difference between 'mass media' and 'culture industry'?

A) Mass media refers to the organizations that use the technologies produced by the culture industry.
B) Mass media is an umbrella term that refers to not only the technological mediums, but also the organizations and individuals using these technologies. Culture industry is a category of mass media.
C) Mass media refers to the mass communication technologies and processes. Culture Industry refers to the mass reproduction and marketing of cultural items by organizations that use these technologies.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 19

What is the objective of textual analysis of media texts, such as newspaper articles or television programming?

A) To prove that mass media is a hegemonic social institution, representing only the perspective and values of the dominant culture.
B) To uncover the ways organizations and corporations use mass media to subtly advertise their products.
C) To examine the cultural codes and frames that are used to interpret an event and make it meaningful and comprehensible.
D) To carefully read and understand the objective facts of a particular current event.
E) All of the above

Question 20

The mixing of entertainment and information in mass media is referred to as:

A) Dilution
B) Infotainment
C) Censorship
D) Condensement
E) None of the above

Question 21

Media conglomerates often work together to produce a quality product with the primary goal being to be of service to the public.

Question 22

As a result of the United States' powerful media industry and the effects of globalization, many countries accuse the US of cultural imperialism-or overwhelming local cultures with American popular culture and products.

Question 23

. Every cultural product can be analyzed as a text, including photographs and music.

Question 24

A journalist's first concern is to uncover and detect broader social or institutional forces that help to understand particular news events.

Question 25

One concern of postmodern media critics is that audiences have no way of checking the extent to which images or information corresponds with reality.

Question 26

In the United States, suicide is not one of the leading causes of death among teen agers.

Question 27

Inequalities of access to the Internet in the United States have sharply increased in the last ten years.

Question 28

A network society refers to a social system that has neither national borders nor centers.

Question 29

A sociologist taking a political economy approach to mass media might be concerned with the ways that mass media is controlled and monopolized by certain interest groups in society.

Question 30

A cultural sociological approach denies that media is a socially constructed product and instead focuses on the roles cultural values play in shaping cultural products.

Question 31

Cultural sociology sees media audiences as passive interpreters of the meanings of media messages.

Question 32

According to Chapter 4, some scholars suggest that media developments such as talk shows play a positive role by making some personal troubles into public issues.