EXAM 4 Flashcards
Lasswell’s 3 major functions of mass media
survey the environment (keeps users informed)
correlation of environmental parts (helps form more accurate holistic views)
transmits societal norms and customs to new generations of viewers
Other major functions of mass media
- Entertainment
- Parasocial interaction
- Escapism
- Anxiety reduction
- Play
Transactional Model
characteristics of the message plus psychological orientation of viewer.
only effects as much as persons psych will allow. If the report relates to you you’ll be more effected
Gratification-Seeking and Audience Activity Model
pay more attention to a message that relates to you
Expectancy-Value Model
go in with an expectation, but evaluate after a new message
Assumptions of Uses and Gratifications
Audience activity varies
Media use for gratification
Social and psychological factors
Competition and mediation
Audience activity varies
selections based on
personal motivations, goals, and needs
Media use for gratification is either..?
proactive or passive
Generally recognized motives for media use
Learning Habit Companionship Arousal Relaxation Escapism Diversion
Third-person effects
consumers perceive content
to affect others more than themselves
Parasocial Interaction
media consumers believe
celebrities are more like friends than strangers
Recent research on Facebook and IM
Instant messaging – develop and maintain relationships
Women – maintain relationships
Men – develop new relationships
Recent research on reality TV
Viewers live vicariously through featured participants Multitasking possible while viewing
Topic of conversation with other viewers
Competition reality programs gratify on an individual level
Innovation
An idea, practice, or object (e.g., product) perceived as
new.
Diffusion
The process by which an innovation is communicated
and spreads through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.
Adoption
The process by which an individual begins to attempt
and use an innovation
Diffusion an Adoption Process
Knowledge Persuasion Decision Implementation Confirmation
Knowledge
An individual (or other decision-making unit) is exposed to an innovation and gains some understanding of how it functions.
Persuasion
An individual (or other decision-making unit) forms a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward the innovation
Decision
An individual (or other decision-making unit) engages in activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject the innovation.
Implementation
An individual (or other decision-making unit) puts an innovation into use
Confirmation
seeks reinforcement of an innovation-decision already made, or reverses a previous decision to adopt or
reject the innovation
Innovation Adoption Curve type
S-Curve. At first only a few, then a lot, then it slackens
Adopter Categories
Innovators Early adopters Early majority Late majority Laggards
Innovators
2.5%
Tech enthusiasts
Shorter adoption period
Risk takers
Resources to absorb unprofitable innovations
Form cliques outside of local community
Early Adopters
13.5%
Visionaries who are respected for their willingness to try new innovations
Opinion leaders who are well connected in local community
Motivated to preserve respect
Seek greater knowledge of information
Greater exposure to mass media channels
Early Majority
34%
Pragmatists
Prefer to deliberate before deciding
Tend to avoid risk
Rely on recommendations from people who have used the product
Legitimize an innovation
Late Majority
34%
Skeptic
Wait until rest of community has it first
May adopt it unwillingly
Laggards
16%
Adopt only when certain the tech will not fail
Lengthy decision process
Suspicious of innovations
limited resources
Once adopted the innovation has become outdated
Critical Mass
once an innovation reaches a critical mass (5%-15%) the process takes of and is probably irreversible
Saturation level
when virtually everyone who is going to adopt it has done so
Factors Affecting Adoption Rates
Status incentives Relative Advantage Compatibility Complexity Trialability Observability
Scales for second to last lecture???? pre smart phone post smart phone
..?
Status Incentives
The degree to which one desires to be first to use the innovation
Relative Advantage
The degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the thing it is replacing
Compatibility
Degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters
Complexity
The degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand or use
Triability
Degree to which an innovation can be experimented with and discarded without undue costs
Can they try it?
Observability
Degree to which an innovations results are visible and measurable
Minority Portrayals in TV
in 1970s Percentage of White characters increased beyond actual
population percentage, percentage of Black characters increased slightly but remained below actual population percentage
Other minorities were practically nonexistent
Minority Portrayals in Motion Pictures
Blacks and other minorities historically were cast only in roles
specifically requiring a minority character
1990s films broke new ground
Minority Portrayals in Advertising
1940s-1960s – Blacks appeared in only 3% of national
magazine ads, all were well-known entertainers, famous
athletes, or unknowns in servant roles
1970s-1980s – presence deteriorated; one study showed
only 2% presence, another <1% presence in ads
Studies showed White magazine readers did not respond
negatively to Black models
1990s – portrayal of characters of color in TV ads greatly
increases to overrepresent population percentages by more than double
Native Americans and disabled continue to be avoided
Minority Portrayals: Character Role Comparisons
1975-1980 – Black men in TV minor roles and bit parts, fewer
leading and supporting roles
1970s – only 13% of Black-White interactions on TV shown as
friendly/respectful
1979 – Blacks and Native Americans portrayed as killers rather
than victims
1970s-1980s – characters of color usually in blue-
collar/service jobs but percentage depicted in professional/white-collar jobs exceeded numbers in society
Disabled characters – 75% portrayed with abnormal or deviant
personality traits; half were victimized during film
Star Trek
Was a breakthrough racial melting pot. Also had the first interracial kiss on TV. Uhura one of the first black women on TV not as maid or nanny
Look through current pictures in book
..
Gender Schema Theory
stereotypes “pre-made schemas” affect how people view women
1980s-1990s women on TV
31.5% of characters, now more like 40%. Portrayed as younger than males, not professionals of importance.
Women in commercials
45-49% of people seen in commercials but likely to be sexualized
Disney
Male characters outnumber females 199:83
Females performed more in-home labor
Males performed much wider range of out-of-home
jobs
Males held more positions of power than women
Characters aligned with femininity (passive,
dependent, emotional) and masculinity (aggressive, independent, unromantic, unemotional)
Priming Studies
Majority audiences blame minority crime on personal
disposition, majority crime on unfortunate situation
Long-term exposure to stereotypical portrayals of Blacks has
been shown to result in subtle discriminatory thoughts among
Whites
Cultivation Studies
Whites who are heavy TV viewers more prone to stereotype
Blacks as lower socioeconomically due to lack of initiative, not
lack of opportunity
White heavy TV viewers cultivated stereotypical attitudes
toward Hispanics; real-world contact lessened effects
Some Media Effects on Health
Use of condoms increases during the AIDS
awareness campaign
A woman makes a check-up appointment after
hearing of Farah Fawcett’s battle with cancer
Children beg their mothers for sweetened breakfast
cereal advertised during a cartoon show
A teen decides to start smoking after seeing the film
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Tobacco Research Findings
83% of studies found causal link between media exposure and smoking initiation (Nunez-Smith et al., 2010)
The higher the ad recognition, the more likely one is to smoke
Tobacco companies spend more advertising dollars at point of
purchase than all other advertising outlets combined
Alcohol Research Findings
Alcohol use and abuse in young people higher than any other drug
including cigarettes and marijuana
Alcohol use by movie characters associated with early-onset
drinking among 10–14-year-olds
Studies focus on causal relationship between media and (1) start of
adolescent drinking and (2) increased consumption/drunk driving
Likelihood of adolescent drinking of beer or liquor directly related
to TV alcohol ad exposure
Prescription Drugs Research Findings
1997 – FDA approved mass media advertising of Rx drugs directly
to the public, including magazines and television
Advertisements influenced many people’s behaviors
6% discuss advertised drug with doctor
30% of those were prescribed the drug
11.5% were prescribed the drug although doctor did not believe
it would help them
Food Research Findings
Food commercials may have positive or negative effects depending
on nutritional value of food advertised
Food ads strongly related to childhood obesity, yet parental eating
habits much more influential
Ads for nutritional items with health benefits increases audience
awareness – e.g. 1980s ads for Kellogg’s All-Bran stressed anticancer benefits of high fiber and low fat
TV and Health Research Findings
Smoking and drinking common on TV programs
20% of television episodes depict characters who smoke
American “thin standard” for women on TV linked to global
viewer eating disorders
Portrayals of sexual activity increasingly abundant but few
references made to safe sex practices or commitments – exposure linked to having sex earlier in life
Films and Health Research Findings
Studies show portrayals of characters who smoke and drink
present even in G-rated movies and 75% of animated Disney
classics
Ill effects of drug use portrayed; drug addicts usually portrayed
as evil
Violent, sexually explicit films influenced college-age males to
trivialize rape and show more sexually callous attitudes toward women after viewing
Health News Research Findings
News coverage of smoking dangers significantly impacts
numbers of people who quit
Framing of health stories can impact policy makers and affect
public health policy
Intense scrutiny can cause officials to act
Greatest impact on public policy at local level when experts in
agreement and media supports efforts of interest groups
Risk-Learning Models
relate new information about health risks and the behaviors that minimize those risks
Four Types of Messages that increase self-protective behavior
Severity
Vulnerability
Response Efficacy
Self-Efficacy
Severity
show severe consequences of behavior
Vulnerability
show ease of contracting disease
Response Efficacy
show how protective behaviors reduce or cure disease
Self-Efficacy
Show effectiveness of protective behavior
Stereotype Priming Model
ex: smokers shown with yellow teeth/bad skin
1960s internet
developed to share computer time for
military and academic researchers
ARPA
developed by Advanced Research Projects
Agency of Defense Department – ARPAnet
1971 internet
E-mail developed for users to communicate
Late 1980s internet
World Wide Web developed by Tim
Berners-Lee for engineers to collaborate on the Web via HTML – HyperText Markup Language
First Web browsers
Mosaic, Netscape
Characteristics of Social Network Sites
Construct public profile within a bounded system
Connect with other users, such as “friends” and “followers”
View and traverse connections (and connections of
connections)
Also… (updated since book chapter) – “streaming”
Personality Factors and Uses and Gratifications
800 million active Facebook users, 50% on any given day
(what is it now???)
Multitaskers more likely to use SNSs and stay on longer
Studies suggest SNS users do not seek out new people but
focus on established relationships
Collect info, reduce stress, record daily events, social
networking
Effects on well-being
First-year undergrads use Facebook more than upperclassmen
Heavy use connected to lower self-esteem and academic
performance
Honest self-presentation results in greater happiness from
SNS use
Negative Effects of SNS use
SNS users more dissatisfied with their own bodies after
viewing profiles of attractive users, social comparison
Fears of privacy invasion
Older users are afraid burglars will monitor posts to determine
whether they are home
Passive use linked to lower well-being
Active use not significantly linked
5 Uses of Tradition Sites
- Document life events
- Commentary and opinions
- Express deeply felt emotions
- Articulate ideas through writing
- Form and maintain community forums
Microblogging
focuses on interactivity, engagement,
and conversations, similar to SNS
Twitters 3 main user motivations
- Information source – large group of followers
- Information seeker – users log on but do not post
- Friends – connections with people actually known
Computer Mediated Communication
2010 – 107 trillion e-mails sent
2.9 billion e-mail accounts
Messages asynchronous – sent and received at convenience of
users
Verbal and nonverbal cues greatly reduced
The Internet Paradox
One study found that although Internet is used mainly for
communication, heavier users found to be more lonely and
isolated
Subsequent studies show extroverted users benefit from online
socialization
Easily used to maintain contact with family and friends
Social Capital
resources accrued from individuals
in a network
Why does mobile matter?
Really fast adoption rates,implications for how users relate to space, size matters, cost matters, distinctions between mobile, portable and fixed
Smartphone Era Effects
Perpetual contact – heightened sense of connection strengthens
social bonds
Text messages symbolic of friendship/intimacy
Diversified channels (apps & social media) = more diversified
connections fostered through mobile communication (opposite of cocooning)l
Pre-Smartphone era effects
Individual addressability through texting & calling tightens flows of
core network interaction
New rhythms and rituals
Heightened expectations for accessibility (among core ties)
Concerns about social insularity – overly connected in “cocoons”
and “monadic clusters”?
Mobile Effects on Youth Culture
siblings are divided by different media use experiences because things change so fast
heavy cell phone users more likely to steal, fight, drink, use drugs, and have sex
Heavy use linked to lower GPAs
Private Use in Public Space of Mobiles
Forced eaves dropping, listening to halfalogue
Users for information more likely to engage in conversation with strangers
Users for relational purposes less likely to talk to strangers
HMonadic Clusters
..?
Absent Presence
Cell phone users physically present but minds are elsewhere
Social Capital (Mobile?)
Civic Engagement, Political Involvement, Trust in Others, and Life Satisfaction
Social Recreation (early finding for internet)
negatively linked to civic
engagement, trust in others, and life satisfaction
Information Exchange (early finding for internet)
Positively linked to civic engagement, trust in others, and life satisfaction
Information Exchange (mobile research)
positively linked to civic engagment & political
Relational Use (Mobile research)
Not significantly linked to civic & political (in
this study)
Recreational Use (Mobile Research)
positively linked to civic & political, but this
mostly applies to older users
Theory of Planned Behavior
conscious predictors of attitudes, norms, & perceived behavioral control
Habit
frequency PLUS automaticity
