COM 107 Exam 1 9 24 Chapter 1 Key Terms o Communication the creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning ex language morse code movies o Culture the symbols of expression that individuals groups and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values o Mass Media the cultural industries the channels of communication that produce and distribute o Digital Communication images texts and sounds converted into electronic signals that are then reassembled as a precise reproduction TV picture magazine article song voice political based websites became big in 2004 a mass media channel to receivers o Bloggers people who post commentary on cultural personal or o Senders authors producers organizations send messages through o Feedback letter to the editor email phone call o Selective Exposure people seek messages and produce meanings that correspond to their own beliefs and interests o Convergence older media is reconfigured in various forms on newer media but still exist ex NY times still in print but also on smartphone channels ex magazines songs TV now available on Internet through laptops tablets smarthphones Aka Cross platform describes a business model that involves consolidating various media holdings cable connections internet access under 1 corporate umbrella to better manage resources and maximize profits o High Culture ballet symphony art museums and classic literature o Low Culture popular culture such icons as soap operas rock music o Modern Period beginning with the Industrial Revolution of the 19th o Progressive Era a period of political and social reform that lasted o Postmodern Period from roughly the mid 20th century to today o Media Literacy attaining an understanding of mass media and how o Critical Process takes us through the steps of description analysis radio shock jocks and video games century and extending until about the mid 20th century roughly from the 1890s to the 1920s Technological merging of content across different media they construct meaning interpretation evaluation and engagement Review Questions o Culture mass media and mass communication are interrelated because culture is what the mass media shows thorough mass communication o The Print Era o Gutenberg s printing press created the print era in 1455 it had o Mass production industrial revolution rise of middle class and o Printing extended learning beyond just wealthy upper class metal type which was innovative because it doesn t wear out elite business class people o Telegraph 1840s dot dash signals o TV developed in the 1930s but its popularity boomed in the 1950s o The Electronic Era and 1960s o The Linear Model of Mass Communication o Evolution of Media 4 steps o Senders send messages through a mass media channel to receivers o Gatekeepers decide what messages get produced o Feedback o Problem with model message don t move smoothly from novelty investors and technicians try to solve a person to person o Emergence problem o Entrepreneurial Stage practical and marketable use for the new device o Mass Medium Stage new device as a consumer product o Convergence newer media but still exist ex NY times still in print but also on smartphone businesses figure out how to market the older media is reconfigured in various forms on inventors and investors determine o Newer and emerging forms of media seem to threaten status quo values because stories told through a variety of media outlets play a key role in changing individual awareness cultural attitudes and public perception o The Skyscraper Model of Culture represents culture as a hierarchy high and low culture high culture is on the top of the skyscraper Shakespeare NY Times and low culture is on the bottom Jersey Shore paparazzi coverage of Lindsey Lohan o Strengths pop culture has a short lifespan cheapens public life o Limitations pop culture distracts students from serious literature and philosophy which stunts their imagination exploits classic works of literature and art o The Map Model of Culture culture is an ongoing and complicated process that allows us to better account for our diverse and individual o Critical Process 1 Description 2 Analysis 3 Interpretation 4 Evaluation 5 Engagement Most Difficult evaluation because you have to make an informed judgment about whether something is good bad or mediocre while thinking about the big picture appreciating the distinctive variety of cultural products and processes o Cynicism becoming tolerant of diverse forms of expression o Criticism developing knowledgeable interpretations and judgments o The critical process is important because is forces us to develop an informed critical perspective and become media literate which allow us to participate in debate about media culture as a force for both democracy and consumerism Hollenback Notes 6 POWERS OF MEDIA Set our agenda 1 o They tell us what to think about and what not to think about o Pro the media surveys the landscape and decides what s o Con feeding frenzy ex Royal baby coverage overwhelming and important binds us together we miss other important things o They tell us how to interpret trends and events o Pro clear understand the story o Con makes us passive in accepting the medias point of view we 2 Frame events 3 4 5 believe what we hear Engage or entertain us Transmit values o Pro entertainment o Con fill our hours lets us escape or veg out distraction o To socialize us what s fair what s not to see other views and o Pro to shape popular culture to influence young people to widen o Con we believe the entertainment media s view of ourselves our cultures our experience ex billions know sesame street world ex only women size 0 are beautiful middle east person automatically a terrorist Support our economic system market driven economy o Via marketing advertising branding o Pro getting information about products and services make the economy run o Con making us want to buy buy buy when we don t need to causes us to be more materialistic 6 Create an open marketplace on which democracy depends o Open marketplace of ideas o Pro we can be a watchdog on government and corporate power o Con it can make us cynical about politics or apathetic about politics ex my vote is only 1 it doesn t matter or often cover only mainstream ideas and issues sometimes superficially Traditional Mass Communications a process within a particular political and economic system whereby large complex formal highly competitive