Chapter 1: Mass Communication, Culture and Media Literacy Flashcards
What is communication?
the transmission of a message from a source to a receiver
What is feedback?
a response to received communication
What is interpersonal communication?
communication between 2 or 3 people
What is encoding and decoding?
Encoding is the transformation of a message into an understandable form of signs and symbols. Decoding is interpreting these symbols.
What is the Osgood Schram model of communication?
This model shows the ongoing and recirprocal nature of communication. There is no source. no receiver, and no feedback.
What is noise?
anything that interferes with successful communication.
What is a medium?
the means of sending information; plural form is media
What is a mass medium?
the means of sending information to a larg number of people
What does media consist of?
Radio, newspaper, television, books, magazines, movies, sound recordings, cell phones, and computer networks
What is mass communication?
the proecess of creating shared meaning between the mass media and their audiences.
What is inferential feedback?
indirect feedback that is gained by inference rather than specifically communicated means of response
What is the cultural definition of communication?
James W. Carey devised this definition that proposed communication and reality are linked as communication is the foundation of our culture and its primary maitenance mechanism.
What is dominant culture, or mainstream culture?
the culture patterns that seem to hold sway with the majority of people
What is a bounded culture, or co-culture?
small sub-cultural groups that exist within the national culture
What is technological determinism?
The idea that machines and their developments drive economic and cultural change.
What is media literacy?
the ability to effetively and efficiently comprehend and use any form of mediated communication
What is a literate culture?
a culture with a written language as a major means of communication
What is an oral or preliterate culture?
a culture without a written language, spoken word is primary means of communication.
What is a griot?
“talking chiefs” within certain African and Eskimo cultures who would provide oral histories of their people
What are ideogrammatic alphabets?
alphabets that are picture based
What is a syllable alphabet?
alphabets that employ sequences of vowels and consonants; words
What is the earliest example of a syllable alphabet?
Sumerian Cuneiform 1800 B.C.
What was the early medium used by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans?
papyrus
What is papyrus?
rolls of sliced strips of reed pressed together
What is parchment?
a writing material made from prepared animal skins
What is literacy?
The ability to effectively and efficiently comprehend and use written symbols
What changes did writing bring?
- meaning and language became more uniform 2. The culture’s memory, history, and myth could be recorded on paper
What are some characteristics of oral cultures?
- the meaning and language is specific and local 2. knowledge must be passed on orally 3. memory is crucial 4. myth and history are intertwined
Who invented the printing press and why is this invention important?
Johannes Gutenburg; it allowed for mass communication
What are the characteristics of media literacy?
- critcal thinking enabling audience to make judgements 2. an understanding of the process of mass communication 3. an awareness of the impact of media on individual and society 4. strategies for analysis and discussion 5. understanding of media content as insight to our culture 6. ability to enjoy understand and appreciate media content 7. development of effective and responsible production skills 8. an understanding of the ethical and moral obligations of media practitioners
What are media literacy skills?
- ability/willingness to make an effort to understand content and pay attention 2. understanding and respect for the power of media messages 3. ability to distinguish emotional from reasoned reactions when responding to content and acting 4. development of heightened expectations of media content 5. a knowledge of genre conventions and ability to recognize when they are being mixed 6. The ability to think critically about media messages no matter how credible the sources 7. a knowledge of the internal language of various media and the ability to understand its effects, no matter how complex
What is the third person effect?
the common attitude that others are influenced by media messages but we are not
What is a genre?
categories of expression within certain media
What are conventions?
the standardized style elements of a genre