COM 1233 Section 01 Spring 2015 Exam review Spring 2015 Slide sets 1 2 What is media literacy Potter Ch 1 8 o Taking control o A set of perspectives we actively use to interpret the meaning of messages we encounter o An understanding a continuum 3 building blocks of Media Literacy Potter Ch 1 8 o Personal locus our control we slide between media control and personal control goals determine what gets filtered in and out stronger drives mean we put in more effort o Knowledge structures sets of organized info helps us understand new ideas experiences connect different ideas objects people situations meanings get more complex with more experience o Skills Tools we develop through practice for example the 5 stage critical process description analysis interpretation evaluation engagement Plato s cave allegory slides o Shows you can only know what you see o Asks if you can t see at it at all how can you know it all How do we keep from getting tricked o Useful understanding in media Is what we see in media actual reality or are we just thinking it s reality What if all we knew of the world came from media The next step reality Potter Ch 1 8 o Exposure to messages you can t get in real life o When audiences seek out messages from the media those messages must appear REAL familiar probable plausible Value added one setp outside the audience s everyday existence Contain elements of reality Enhance reality to capture attention Fantasy Reality Dill ch 1 o Cognitive dissonance we protect our egos and behaviors by justifying our media consumption makes effects of media invisible and makes us vulnerable to manipulation Consumer choice is not consumer control o Sleeper effect More credible sources are more persuasive but over time we separate message from source therefore persuasion increases over time o Mirror neurons Neutral structures that help u empathize and imitate Allow us to be transported into fictional situations Humans are hardwired to socially imitate others Some responses are outside conscious control Facilitates involuntary persuasion COM 1233 Section 01 Spring 2015 Slide set 3 Potter Ch 2 Potters 7 skills of media literacy o Analysis Breaking down a message to meaningful elements to search for deeper Use 5 categories of elements in fictional media plot line characters settings production themes morals o Evaluation Judging the value of an element by comparing it to some standard Comparing crimes on TV to the way crime plays out in reality o Grouping Comparing contrasting different elements of messages or media outlets o Induction Inferring patterns across a small set of elements then generalizing it to all of Crime dominates local news coverage so crime must be a problem o Deduction Using general principals to explain particular evidence and then determine a Putting condom ads on TV will give kids ideas o Synthesis Assembling elements into existing knowledge structures or establishing new meaning them conclusion structures You see info about climate change how does that compare with your views about global warming Do you change your opinion or reinforce it o Abstracting Creating a brief clear and accurate summary Explaining a plotline of a TV show to a friend 5 categories of elements we use to analyze fictional media o Plot line the structure or organization of events that make up a fictional story o Characters Names appearance and dress role in a show occupations social class explicit personality traits show o Settings Description of places relevant to the show as a whole individual scenes in the o Production Distinctive camera editing or other visual techniques hand held cameras style of music how does the show look and sound o Themes or morals What do the show s producers intend for us to take as the meaning Slide set 4 Social Learning Dill Ch 2 Social learning theory behavior from film Bobo the Doll Wanted to test whether individuals could learn create o Observational Learning people learn behavior by witnessing it even in media o Inhibitory effect Behavior is less likely repeated if not rewarded or punished o Disinhibitory effect Behavior is more likely repeated if rewarded o Vicarious Reinforcement People may learn what is socially acceptable and rewarded through media o Behavioral repertoire Learned responses available to a person o Behavioral hierarchy Likelihood individual chooses a behavior Parasocial relationship media becomes agents in our social worlds COM 1233 Section 01 Spring 2015 Slide set 5 Potter Ch 10 Story arc Freytag s Pyramid o Pseudo relationships with media figures as biological organisms we make social ties But we are not designed for mediated intimacy o Replacing in person relationships with pseudo social interactions we spend less time interacting with real people and are exposed to different values o Exposition Background information needed to understand the story Ends with inciting moment trigger that sets the story in motion o Rising action Conflict becomes complicated and often a secondary conflict begins o Climax Point of highest tension that marks a change for better or worse o Falling action Conflict unravels and the protagonist wins loses May contain final suspense moment that causes the final outcome in doubt o Resolution Conclusion and resolution of conflict for better or worse Semiotics o Sign elementary element that stands for something else o Made up of 2 equal parts The signifier a material thing The signified the subjective meaning Production elements o The composition and style of the message context media Cameral selects point of view angles identify narrator implies dominance submission emotional engagement Editing techniques pacing smooth and slow suggests order while rapid and jerky suggests disarray Sound ambient or sound effects Lighting reveals good bad safe dangerous Slide set 6 Potter Chapter 3 4 Media Identity o Culture helps us determine roles the media part of that culture provides shared o Gesellschaft society vs Geneinschaft community o Media helps us see what we cannot directly experience we understand some of our roles by consuming media e g what American means Strategic construction of categories of people conglomeration of What is an audience potentially overlapping markets Mass to Niche o Mass audience 20th century broadcasting saw a mass audience because we had mass o Niche audiences more media outlets meant more competition for audiences Hence narrowcasting to segmented audiences This divided people into homogenous