final exam review Flashcards
Define Power.
The ability to influence or control people, resources, or systems.
In media, power is about who controls the creation and dissemination of information.
Example: Television centralized power by organizing family life around programming, shaping perceptions of news and reality.
Define Medium/Media.
A medium is the channel or tool through which communication occurs. Media are collective technologies that disseminate information to a broad audience.
Example: Phonography served as a medium for recorded sound, bringing music into private homes and transforming public and private listening spaces.
What is Innis’s Medium Theory?
Changes in communication technologies shape cultures by altering the structure of interests, the character of symbolic representation, and the nature of communicative communities.
What is the “socius” of communication
The social framework or environment in which communication occurs.
What is the “ritual” logic of communication?
Emphasizes communication as a process of shared meaning and community creation
How did telegraphy impact newspapers?
Enabled the rise of information-based journalism and “reading publics” focused on shared news consumption
What is mass society and mass culture?
A societal shift characterized by homogenized cultural experiences driven by mass production and media
What is the “Carnivalesque”?
A cultural dynamic that disrupts norms, encouraging subversion and temporary freedom from authority
What role did the Crystal Palace Exhibition play in consumer culture?
Showcased the commodification of modernity and the spectacle of mass consumption
What is the “Recording Angel” metaphor?
Describes the time-biased power of sound recording to capture ephemeral moments
How did phonography create public and private spheres?
Enabled mass entertainment while also integrating recorded sound into domestic spaces
What was Sousa’s critique of recorded sound?
Argued that mechanical sound diminished the quality of music and the live listening experience
What is “broadcasting” as described by Peters
The dissemination of information to a wide audience simultaneously.
What is “exploratory listening”?
Engaging with radio to discover new content and experiences
What was the impact of the War of the Worlds broadcast?
Demonstrated radio’s ability to create mass panic and shape public perception
