Textbook Ch.3 - Media Goes Pop

Question 1

What are the two points worth holding onto of Walter Benjamin’s theory?

Answer 1

1. Mass-produced culture makes everything the same, and Benjamin believes it diminishes the depth of human creativity.
2. The culture we value today isn’t the exclusive art world’s great works but what’s most visible.

Question 2

What is popular culture?

Answer 2

Popular culture is what many people like to do in a society, like movies, music, fashion, and social media trends. It’s always changing and is influenced by technology and what’s happening in society. It’s what a lot of people relate to and enjoy.

Question 3

What is Rationalization?

Answer 3

The process in which something that used to happen organically or haphazardly is made as efficient as possible by breaking it down into a step-by-step procedure that is predictable and cost-effective

To put into simple terms:

Rationalization is the process of making something reasonable or logical, even if it wasn’t originally

Question 4

What does “selling out” mean?

Answer 4

Comprising one’s values or principles for personal gain, often in a financial or career context.

Question 5

What does Alienation mean?

Answer 5

It means that world people inhabit on a day-to-day basis is different from, and less authentic than, the world as it actually is.

Question 6

What does the term “affect” mean

Answer 6

It is a bit like emotion, but the kind you feel rather than think and talk about

Question 7

What is Hypermediation?

Answer 7

• Similar to media saturation

It suggests that there is too much media, but it is intended to indicate that there there is more of it around than there used to be

Question 8

What is Interaction ritual?

Answer 8

*It is the title of one of Goffman’s most influential books (1972)

He uses the term to indicate that the smallest of interactions are governed by complex and usually unspoken rules, and like other rituals they are freighted with more meaning than is immediately apparent

Question 9

Define the term “field”

Answer 9

It means any social space where people interact, in which it is tacitly agreed that some things - actions, peoples, products - are more valuable than others. Fields tend to be competitive: participants are assumed to want to claim the valued things as their own and thus to gain in status and power.

In simple terms, a field is a specific area or category in the world of media. It’s like different jobs or topics related to how information and entertainment are shared, such as TV, radio, internet, newspapers, etc. Each field has its own unique characteristics and professionals who work on it.

Question 10

What is symbolic capital?

Answer 10

Symbolic capital is what marks out value in a field. It can be anything from a personality trait or cultural preference to the language you use and people you hang out with.

In simple terms, symbolic capital refers to the prestige, recognition, and influence that individuals, organizations, or content can gain based on their reputation, credibility, or symbolic value. It’s like having a strong brand or reputation that gives you more authority and attention in the media world

Question 11

What are culturally valorized symbolic forms?

Answer 11

This just means the things we have collectively agreed are indicators of cultural worth

Question 12

What is Memento Mori?

Answer 12

The term Memento Mori is common in art history, it is a reminder that life is fleeting.

*this term is a symbolic reminder of mortality and the need to focus on what truly matters in life

Question 13

What are the two qualifications about popular culture that are worth bearing in mind

Answer 13

1. Everyone thinks they are more independently minded and less easily influenced than average, and statistically, that is impossible
2. Whether you pay attention or not, there is something about living your life day to day in a world where there is this thing called popular culture that a lot of people buy into, that will also influence your orientation to the world

Question 14

Explain “recognition”

Answer 14

Historically there have been arguments about what kind of recognition is the most important. Being recognized as a legitimate member of society? Or a competent one? Or a uniquely talented one? More recently, commentators have determined that being recognized is more important than being recognized for anything in particular.

Question 15

What is the significance of celebrities?

Answer 15

The significance of celebrities lies in what they represent about our society and it’s values, not just the celebrities themselves.

*Always remember that it is the culture that made each specific celebrity possible and not the other way around

*We tend to think about the impact that celebrities have on us, but actually, their existence is a reflection rather than a cause of who we are

Question 16

Define the term “Demotic”

Answer 16

Refers to how people actually are, as opposed to democratic, which is a principle to aspire to.

*Means ordinary people and what they like, in opposition of democratic which is more about principles and processes than just preferences

*The demotic turn is also associated with a turn towards emotion as one of the main ways that we assess our experiences of things like media. So, instead of asking whether media represents people properly as citizens, for instance, the popular culture we pay attention to in the media is often assessed according to how it makes people feel: validated, comforted, outraged, and so on.