Key Terminology Flashcards
Define: Hegemony
Give one example
The theory that identifies that those in power maintain domination through cultural influence rather than force e.g In many democracies, the wealthy class can be said to have hegemony over the middle class and the poor
Define: Mediation
Give one example
The process by which the media represents events or people in a specific way according to their own agenda
e.g Fox News coverage of Muslim terrorists
Define: Realism
The degree which media representations accurately reflect the way things really are, and not how we would want them to be
What is a Linear Narrative Structure?
When a narrative sequence is in the correct order, with no use of flashbacks or ‘playing’ around with time
Define: Genre
Give examples
A way of categorising texts by identifying certain common characteristics in style, narrative and structure
e.g Horror, Action, Gangster
Define: Diegetic Sound
Sound or music that the character experiences, that originates from the source within the film’s world
What is a Non-linear Narrative Structure?
When a narrative makes use of flashbacks and segments that structure into sections that may indicate a movement forward or back in time
Hypodermic Needle Model
Asserts that the media are powerful agents of influence, capable of injecting ideas and behaviours directly into relatively passive audiences
Preferred/Dominant Reading
The reading which media producers hope will take from the text
Define: Non-diegetic Sound
Give one example
Music and sound that the audience experiences but the characters within the text do not
e.g creepy music in horror films to add suspense for the audience
Pluralist Model
Argues that there is diversity in society and therefore there is also choice- we can choose what to believe and what not to believe
Passive Audience
An audience that has been ‘injected’ ideas and views, they simply accept news stories without hesitation/objection
Define: Anchorage
Give one example
The fixing or limiting of a set of meanings to an image usually through the use of a caption or other written text which fixes the meaning of the photograph
e.g newspaper photographs that have captions underneath
Audience Positioning
The process in which media texts work to situate the reader, spectator etc from a particular point of view or perspective
Active Audience
The audience has an active role to play in the understanding of the creation/meaning within a media text
