Deck 1: Mass Communication and Its Digital Transformation

Question 1

__________ is the process whereby traditional media companies have grown fewer and much larger in the past fifty years through mergers and acquisitions.

A) Convergence
B) Consolidation
C) Correlation
D) Cultural transmission

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What is one benefit of time shifting?

A) Corporations have more control over copyrighted content.
B) Advertisers find it easier to market to niche audiences.
C) Consumers can record something so it can be watched anytime.
D) Journalists can quickly communicate with readers.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What phenomenon is demonstrated when a show that is produced in the United States (NCIS, for example) becomes wildly popular in another country?

A) Technological convergence
B) Economic convergence
C) Interpersonal convergence
D) Cultural convergence

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which is an example of technological convergence?

A) A newspaper reporter also writes an article for a company's website.
B) Two media companies merge to form a larger company.
C) A U.S.-produced TV show becomes popular in Russia.
D) Old telegraph wires are converted to new phone lines.

Question 5

What three elements are needed for convergence?

A) Print media; advocacy; culture
B) Science; entertainment; economics
C) Video files; telecommunications; corporations
D) Computing; telecommunications; media

Question 6

What is a primary characteristic of interpersonal communication?

A) It is usually interactive or flows at least two ways.
B) It is one-to-many.
C) It tends to be anonymous.
D) It cannot take place through a medium or communication channel.

Question 7

The main functions of mass communication are cultural transmission, correlation, __________, and __________.

A) surveillance; digitalization
B) digitalization; socialization
C) surveillance; entertainment
D) entertainment; socialization

Question 8

Born in 1995, Gillian has never known a world without the Internet. She is active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and she helps her parents become more proficient with various social media platforms. Gillian is a digital __________.

A) immigrant
B) native
C) prodigy
D) professional

Question 9

Creative Commons has created a range of contracts for content creators that help ensure creative works remain free in the public domain. These are based on the concept of __________.

A) proprietary information
B) fair use
C) copyright
D) copyleft

Question 10

Digitization is __________.

A) the process by which media are made into computer-readable form
B) thin, flexible fibers of glass capable of transmitting light signals
C) technology's shift toward user-generated content
D) the process by which media are decoded from computer-readable form

Question 11

A hyperlink is __________.

A) a clickable pointer to other online content
B) a software code that enables one computer to communicate with another
C) a device that connects directly to laptops
D) an online group of people with similar interests

Question 12

Synchronous media __________.

A) require using a personal computer to act as editor, publisher, and writer
B) require Internet archives to support research projects
C) are the programs used to move media from your computer to your tablet or smartphone
D) require the audience to be assembled simultaneously with the broadcast, transmission, or event

Question 13

The correlation function of mass communication is important because the media __________.

A) tell audiences exactly what to do and when to do it
B) help individuals understand their roles within society and culture by interpreting events and issues and ascribing meaning to them
C) can keep audiences informed about issues, events, and other developments in society
D) ethically depict a society's dominant cultures and subcultures

Question 14

A danger of the entertainment function of mass communication is that entertainment can __________.

A) transmit specific sets of values
B) raise artistic and cultural tastes
C) perpetuate certain stereotypes
D) encourage civic participation

Question 15

The inventor of record for the telephone in 1876 is __________.

A) Benjamin Franklin
B) Thomas Edison
C) Alexander Graham Bell
D) Johannes Gutenberg

Question 16

Why is viral marketing an efficient way of promoting products?

A) It secretly targets Internet users based on cookies.
B) It involves traditional approaches to advertising.
C) It appeals to people's emotions.
D) It involves people discussing products for free.

Question 17

Citizen journalism is popular in the field today because __________.

A) audiences can provide coverage of local events and news that large news organizations overlook
B) research has shown that citizen journalism is significantly more accurate than traditional journalism
C) political parties rely on the work of citizen journalists to promote certain candidates
D) all forms of user-generated content (including citizen journalism stories) have high artistic value

Question 18

Which of the screens in our multiscreen world is the most used?

A) Smartphone
B) Laptop
C) Television
D) Movie

Question 19

How does product placement in film and television demonstrate the principles of convergence?

A) Viewers participate in the creation of innovative programming.
B) Viewers are exposed to a limited range of viewpoints.
C) Viewers are exposed to only those items that pay the most to the producer.
D) Viewers see a mix of normal programming and advertising content.

Question 20

A significant area of convergence is the space produced by the melding of the television and the personal computer. Related to this, how is television different today compared to when it was first developed?

A) Television has a limited range of programming and focuses on narrowcasting.
B) Television is interactive and allows viewers to participate in shows by voting.
C) Television allows viewers to send printed communication messages to their friends.
D) Television can show millions of colors and not just black and white.

Question 21

To eliminate incompatibilities in the phone network, the U.S. government granted which company a monopoly on the telephone system?

A) AT&T
B) Verizon
C) Sprint
D) T-Mobile

Question 22

A reason for the many initial incompatibilities in the telephone system was that __________.

A) private enterprise developed the telephone systems
B) poor-quality materials were used to produce phones
C) inexperienced workers installed phone lines
D) government regulations burdened private companies

Question 23

How do "centralized" media organizations operate?

A) They specialize in one aspect of media production and distribution.
B) They seek special government subsidies to produce and distribute content.
C) They control all aspects of media production and distribution.
D) They encourage regular Internet users to contribute content.

Question 24

Which statement best describes the recent trend in media ownership?

A) The U.S. government is increasingly buying media companies.
B) Most companies have transitioned from for-profit to not-for-profit entities.
C) Media companies are being consolidated into larger companies.
D) Media companies are breaking up into smaller, independent companies.

Question 25

An example of user-generated content is __________.

A) an original drawing done using illustration software
B) content that is purchased by an Internet user
C) a photocopied textbook
D) a digital newspaper or magazine

Question 26

__________ refers to the merging of Internet or telecommunications companies with traditional media companies, such as Comcast with NBC Universal.

A) Cultural convergence
B) Technological convergence
C) Interpersonal convergence
D) Economic convergence

Question 27

Many newspaper journalists are now expected to write stories and shoot videos. What broader convergence issue does this demonstrate?

A) Communications professionals are working for larger companies than in the past.
B) Communications professionals have multiple job roles today.
C) Communications professionals do not have to worry about digital media.
D) Communications professionals are getting paid more for their work than in the past.

Question 28

How have advertisers responded to peoples' use of digital video recorders to fast-forward through commercials?

A) They have completely stopped advertising on television.
B) They have appealed to the government for new laws.
C) They have created limited copyright technologies to curb copying.
D) They have increasingly used product placements in television shows.

Question 29

In addition to reaching local television audiences, superstations also transmit content via satellite to__________.

A) Internet radio subscribers
B) national television audiences
C) international media conglomerates
D) streaming video services

Question 30

Which statement best describes the relationship between the television and the movie industries in the twentieth century?

A) The two industries have consistently cooperated with each other.
B) The two industries now cooperate after initially competing with each other.
C) The two industries have largely ignored each other.
D) The two industries have frequently competed for audiences.

Question 31

What was the first twenty-four-hour television news network?

A) Fox News
B) ESPN
C) CNN
D) CNBC

Question 32

Which trend decreases corporate power as it increases consumer control?

A) Product placement
B) Viral marketing
C) Cookies
D) Surveillance

Question 33

Which of the following statements about the Netflix hacking episode that occurred in 2016 is correct?

A) The hackers responsible for this breach are known as the darkwebmaster.
B) Episodes of the Netflix series House of Cards were hacked and leaked before their scheduled release date.
C) Even if they operate overseas, the hackers will likely be brought to justice because of recent advances in the international prosecution of cybercrimes.
D) The hack reminds us of how connected we are and how even one weak link in our online network can affect a multiplicity of people and companies.

Question 34

__________ media such as newspapers or magazines do not require the audience to assemble at any given time.

A) Asynchronous
B) Free
C) Advertising
D) Synchronous

Question 35

Who invented the Western world's first mechanical printing press?

A) Antonio Gramsci
B) Alexander Graham Bell
C) Joseph Pulitzer
D) Johannes Gutenberg

Question 36

Select the statement that best describes how cookies work.

A) Cookies recognize a person's Internet behaviors and provide custom content based on those patterns.
B) Cookies follow a person's visits to social media sites and report illegal activity.
C) Cookies are attached to cable modems and slow down Internet speeds if a person uses too much data.
D) Cookies are based on a person's viewing habits and report who is watching what for the purpose of gathering ratings information.

Question 37

What is one impact of social media on our privacy?

A) Companies now have a harder time monitoring our behavior.
B) Companies now carefully protect consumer privacy with social media.
C) Maintaining privacy in the form of alone time is harder than it was before social media existed.
D) There is no impact; people just change their settings to make their social media more private.

Question 38

Many consider the polarization of political views in the United States, as seen especially during the last presidential election, to be a direct result of which of the following trends?

A) Celebrity endorsements
B) Filter bubbles
C) Media consolidation
D) Produsers

Question 39

A(n) __________ is an economic structure in which a few very large, very powerful, and very rich owners control an industry or collection of related industries.

A) oligarchy
B) monopoly
C) oligopoly
D) monarchy

Question 40

Who is the most subscribed user on YouTube?

A) HolaSoyGerman
B) Justin Bieber
C) PewDiePie
D) Dude Perfect

Question 41

What statement best describes the audience in the traditional mass communication model?

A) Audience members are active contributors of content.
B) The audience consists of many diverse groups.
C) The audience is large, heterogeneous, and anonymous.
D) Audience members have many means to communicate with each other.

Question 42

The phrase "produsers" combines which two words?

A) Proactive; amusers
B) Prospective; users
C) Professional; diffusers
D) Producers; users

Question 43

What is a potentially dangerous result of audience fragmentation?

A) Audience members now have more prosocial power than they did before convergence.
B) Audience members choose to receive only the news and information that reinforce their beliefs and values.
C) Audience members have a hard time making decisions because they are exposed to so many diverse viewpoints.
D) Audience members have short attention spans and need media items that are short and quick.

Question 44

Some studies have shown that people who regularly use Facebook are not as happy as those who do not, a phenomenon attributed to which of the following acronyms?

A) FOMO
B) POMO
C) UGC
D) FEMA

Question 45

What impact has the cell phone had on planning social events with friends?

A) It is now harder to communicate with friends to plan social events.
B) Social events are less spontaneous now that people have cell phones.
C) People can now coordinate events with their phones and televisions.
D) Social events are more spontaneous now that people have cell phones.

Question 46

What was the first means of electronic communication?

A) Radio
B) Television
C) Telephones
D) Telegraph

Question 47

What important trend do wikis and mash-ups, such as President Trump playing an accordion, demonstrate?

A) The audience's limited participation in media
B) The development of narrowcasting
C) The audience's growing participation in media
D) The telephone industry's decline

Question 48

Which statement best describes how people access media in today's convergence era?

A) We can only access media in certain locations where it is legally permissible to do so.
B) We're often restricted to locations, such as work desks, because media are not very portable.
C) We can only take media into places where there is free wireless Internet service.
D) We can take our media just about anywhere.*

Question 49

When we talk on a phone, instant message, or write back and forth in a chat room, we are __________.

A) participating in economic convergence
B) using a communication medium
C) engaging in mass broadcasting
D) enhancing our understanding of convergence

Question 50

What activity provides information about the processes, issues, events, and other developments in society?

A) Surveillance
B) Correlation
C) Cultural transmission
D) Convergence

Question 51

What improvements needed to be made to the telephone before it could be more widely adopted?

A) The number of voices carried on a single wire had to be increased; a government department had to be created to assign phone numbers.
B) The number of voices carried on a single wire had to be increased; the handset had to be made more comfortable.
C) Sound needed to be made easier to hear; the number of voices carried on a single wire had to be increased.
D) Sound needed to be made easier to hear; viewers had to be able to see the number of the person calling on the phone itself.

Question 52

Cultural convergence says that media companies will continue to produce messages for large audiences, but according to this view, audiences will more frequently receive what?

A) More competition, which will keep the cost of mass media products down
B) Personalized messages tailored to the needs of the individual
C) Mass messages tailored to the needs of the nation instead of the individual
D) Mass media messages tailored to a global audience

Question 53

What makes it easier for smaller media companies and even individuals to mass distribute their media products?

A) Costs of traditional marketing and distribution have come way down.
B) Production costs have decreased, leaving more money for marketing and distribution.
C) New avenues for marketing and distribution have opened up on the Internet.
D) New avenues for marketing and distribution have opened up through tablets and phones.

Question 54

Briefly explain/describe the three types of convergence and provide examples to support your point of view.

Question 55

Briefly discuss the pros and cons of audiences and the public becoming more active in media production.

Question 56

Identify the first means of electronic communication, and explain the system's key components.

Question 57

How has convergence with respect to the portability of the cell phone transformed communication behavior since the era of the landline?

Question 58

Imagine that over the holiday, you've decided to read three novels. Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of reading the novels using Kindle or the Sony Reader.

Question 59

Describe the relationship between interpersonal communication and traditional mass-communication models, providing examples of the interplay between mediated interpersonal communication and mass communication.

Question 60

Explain how digital media are radically changing the organization and substance of the traditional mass communication model that enabled companies to control content creation and distribution channels.

Question 61

Describe the four functions of mass communication.

Question 62

Advertising is one of the main means by which media companies earn revenues. Discuss how the Web is changing that tradition.