Mass Media and Social Media

Question 1

culture lag

Answer 1

a period of maladjustment when the nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions

Question 2

digital divide

Answer 2

the relative lack of access to the latest technologies among low-income groups, racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents, and the citizens of developing countries

Question 3

dominant ideology

Answer 3

a set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests

Question 4

gatekeeping

Answer 4

the process by which a relatively small number of people in the media industry control what material eventually reaches the audience

Question 5

hyperconsumerism

Answer 5

the practice of buying more than we need or want, and often more than we can afford; a preoccupation of postmodern consumers

Question 6

hyper-local media

Answer 6

reporting that is highly local and typically Internet-based

Question 7

mass media

Answer 7

print and electronic means of communication that carry messages to widespread audiences

Question 8

narcotizing dysfunction

Answer 8

the phenomenon in which the media provide such massive amounts of coverage that the audience becomes numb and fails to act on the information, regardless of how compelling the issue

Question 9

opinion leader

Answer 9

someone who influences the opinions and decisions of others through day-to-day personal contact and communication

Question 10

social capital

Answer 10

the collective benefit of social networks, which are built on reciprocal trust

Question 11

social media

Answer 11

websites and online applications that enable people to create and share content or to participate in social networking

Question 12

stereotype

Answer 12

an unreliable generalization about all members of a group that does not recognize individual differences within the group