Deck 11: Politics and Technology

Question 1

Which decade brought about the advent of the Internet as we know it (graphic web browsers, e-mail)?

A) 2000s
B) 1990s
C) 1980s
D) 1970s
E) 1960s

Answer 1

B

Question 2

With respect to civic engagement and participation, online groups

A) perform different, often more negative, civic functions than offline groups.
B) are not very effective in mobilizing political participation.
C) perform work that is very different than that of the face-to-face groups that preceded them.
D) spur activism that may not have been possible through offline groups.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Who of the following would be most likely to use the Internet?

A) a 65-year-old African American man from a large city
B) a 25-year-old, college-educated Hispanic female from the suburbs
C) a white, middle-aged farm worker from a small agricultural town
D) a 30-year-old, white urban dweller without a high-school diploma
E) a 70-year-old, white high-school graduate from the suburbs

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Internet usage is lowest in what income group (by household income)?

A) less than $30,000
B) $30,000-$49,999
C) $50,000-$74,999
D) $75,000+
E) Internet usage is the same across all income groups.

Question 5

The ability of cellular technology to make the Internet portable and constantly available has been revolutionary. Approximately what percentage of American adults own a smartphone today?

A) less than 20 percent
B) nearly 25 percent
C) almost 35 percent
D) nearly 50 percent
E) over 70 percent

Question 6

A service that compiles all the news that we want from various outlets into one location is known as a

A) news aggregator.
B) micro-blog.
C) wiki.
D) vlog.
E) bandwidth.

Question 7

The modern media revolution began with the advent of

A) television.
B) radio.
C) social networking.
D) the Internet.
E) cellular technology.

Question 8

Which of the following is a factor in the digital divide?

A) earnings levels
B) access to high-speed Internet
C) geography
D) consumer disability
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about who uses the Internet most is accurate?

A) Internet usage is skewed toward older, high-income earners.
B) Because of its universality, there is no correlation between educational attainment and Internet use.
C) The younger the person, the more likely they are to use the Internet.
D) Cellular technology has not yet had an impact on who connects to the Internet.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 10

Considerable research indicates that the use of social media ________ civic engagement and participation in the real world.

A) decreases
B) has no impact on
C) rarely increases
D) increases
E) drastically decreases

Question 11

Which of the following has been most instrumental in decreasing the income-based digital divide?

A) wired broadband technology
B) Internet technology
C) access to high-speed services
D) unlimited data plans
E) cellular technology

Question 12

Internet usage is lowest in what age group?

A) 18-29
B) 30-49
C) 50-64
D) 65+
E) Internet usage is the same across all age groups.

Question 13

All of the following are news aggregators EXCEPT

A) Google News.
B) the Huffington Post.
C) network television news.
D) Yahoo News.
E) the Drudge Report.

Question 14

Which of the following was a watershed event in the use of new technology in politics?

A) passage of the Affordable Health Care Act in 2010
B) Bill Clinton's 1996 campaign
C) John McCain's 2008 presidential bid
D) passage of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform in 2002
E) Barack Obama's 2008 presidential bid

Question 15

Among Americans aged 18-29, what percentage use the Internet?

A) 48 percent
B) 58 percent
C) 81 percent
D) 93 percent
E) 98 percent

Question 16

Which of the following has the largest influence on the increase in sophistication of web content?

A) users
B) bandwidth
C) blogs
D) social networking
E) email

Question 17

Approximately what percentage of American adults use the Internet today?

A) 30 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 70 percent
D) 80 percent
E) almost 90 percent

Question 18

Which of the following terms best encompasses the impact of the Internet and cellular technology on American politics?

A) modest
B) regressive
C) neutral
D) slow
E) revolutionary

Question 19

Internet usage is highest in what age group?

A) 18-29
B) 30-49
C) 50-64
D) 65+
E) Internet usage is the same across all age groups.

Question 20

Unequal access to computer technology is known as

A) the digital divide.
B) hacktivism.
C) Foursquare.
D) netroots.
E) Net neutrality.

Question 21

Which of the following is a blog platform?

A) YouTube
B) LinkedIn
C) Google Plus
D) Reddit
E) Facebook

Question 22

What has been the effect of the rapid expansion of Internet technology on the ability of presidential campaigns to manage the news?

A) It has made managing the news somewhat easier.
B) The effect is mostly neutral.
C) It has made managing favorable news impossible and unfavorable news more difficult.
D) It has made managing the news more difficult.
E) It has no effect on the ability of presidential campaigns to manage the news.

Question 23

Targeting political ads based on cookies dropped on other websites is known as

A) social networking.
B) e-campaigning.
C) the blogosphere.
D) remarketing.
E) netroots.

Question 24

Professional wrestler Jesse Ventura credits the mobilization of voters through the Internet, or ________, for being elected governor of Minnesota despite his being a political outsider.

A) blogging
B) tweeting
C) remarketing
D) e-campaigning
E) netroots

Question 25

The success of which candidate in using the Internet to recruit volunteers and raise money in 2004 brought into sharp focus the potential of the Internet as a force in political campaigns?

A) Barack Obama
B) Bill Clinton
C) Howard Dean
D) Jesse Ventura
E) Michael Dukakis

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of a macro-protest?

A) collection of 300,000 signatures on an e-petition
B) mobilization of like-minded voters
C) the destruction of electronic files in pursuit of a political goal
D) a cyber cascade of campaign photos
E) a coordinated blackout of websites to influence legislation

Question 27

Which recent Internet news phenomenon does Patrick Healy of The New York Times warn must be monitored and managed aggressively by candidates?

A) viral videos
B) remarketing
C) e-mobilizing
D) hacktivism
E) Foursquare

Question 28

Which of the following is the best example of the way new technology has enabled the exchange of information between elected leaders and constituents?

A) Google.com
B) the Drudge Report
C) congressional Facebook pages
D) CNN.com
E) Facebook

Question 29

A canvasser for a candidate using software on a smartphone to survey potential supporters and then syncing the phone with a database that tracks citizens' preferences and concerns is participating in

A) an e-petition.
B) a macro-protest.
C) e-mobilization.
D) an e-campaign.
E) microtargeting.

Question 30

Which of the following industries was most instrumental in the defeat of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) through their use of a macro-protest?

A) the traditional media
B) the entertainment industry
C) international hactivist groups
D) the technology industry
E) the legal profession

Question 31

Which of the following is the best way to describe a promoted tweet?

A) targeted advertisement
B) e-campaign
C) cyber cascade
D) e-mobilization
E) microtarget

Question 32

When an electronic document "goes viral," it becomes part of

A) a remarketing campaign.
B) e-mobilization.
C) a cyber cascade.
D) the blogosphere.
E) a macro-protest.

Question 33

The group Change.org is most strongly associated with what activity?

A) cyber cascade
B) e-petition
C) macro-protest
D) promoted tweet
E) hacktivism

Question 34

Which of the following is a part of netroots?

A) grassroots organizing
B) blogs
C) political activism
D) online media
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 35

Which of the following best defines the term netroots?

A) the use of social networking sites in campaigns
B) mobilizing voters through the Internet
C) websites that enable short communications
D) Internet-centered political efforts for candidates and causes
E) the homepage of a candidate's website

Question 36

As a result of new technology, communication is now

A) a two-way street.
B) mediated by news outlets.
C) less direct.
D) a meandering path.
E) all about information reception.

Question 37

A site that enables short communications that are often specifically targeted at on-the-move audiences is known as a

A) netroot.
B) micro-blog.
C) promoted tweet.
D) cyber-cascade.
E) vlog.

Question 38

Which of the following statements about the blogosphere is most accurate?

A) The popularity of blogs peaked in 2005 and remains steady.
B) Blogs lack variety; most deal with political issues.
C) The traditional media discourage blogs.
D) Some blogs are written by professional journalists.
E) All of these statements are accurate.

Question 39

________ helped spur the Internet revolution with the invention of hypertext.

A) Bill Gates
B) Steve Jobs
C) Al Gore
D) Tim Berners-Lee
E) The U.S. government

Question 40

In the use of micro-blogs such as Twitter, it has been shown that it is important for a candidate to act ________ in order to forge consensus on an issue.

A) slowly
B) often
C) quickly
D) defensively
E) carefully

Question 41

The idea that Internet traffic should flow through the Internet pipeline without interference or discrimination by those who own or are running the pipeline is known as

A) bandwidth.
B) the digital divide.
C) netroots.
D) Net neutrality.
E) remarketing.

Question 42

The domestic surveillance program that was uncovered by Edward Snowden

A) began and ended during the administration of George W. Bush.
B) began during the administration of George W. Bush and continued under President Obama.
C) began during the administration of George W. Bush, but was quickly ended by President Obama.
D) was ended in 2013 by a ruling of the Supreme Court.
E) was ended by President Obama shortly after he took office.

Question 43

All of the following are true about internet terrorism recruitment and organization EXCEPT that

A) social media sites have proven to be an important recruitment tool.
B) terror cells use encrypted messaging systems to organize criminal activity.
C) social media has been used to target young people.
D) social media has been used to radicalize individuals sympathetic to their cause.
E) terrorist activities are regulated by the federal government.

Question 44

In 2016, U.S. elections were influenced through Internet communications by which foreign country?

A) France
B) India
C) Iraq
D) Russia
E) China

Question 45

The old way in which the government did things, in paper form or via outdated computer systems, is part of the government's

A) Foursquare.
B) legacy system.
C) transparency.
D) wiki.
E) e-mobilization.

Question 46

Which government agency played a major role in the development of the Internet?

A) Department of Commerce
B) Department of Defense
C) Central Intelligence Agency
D) State Department
E) Treasury Department

Question 47

The result of the Internet's selective exposure is

A) less political discourse.
B) more moderate viewpoints.
C) increased polarization.
D) broader exposure to contradictory views.
E) an increased desire to compromise.

Question 48

Which of the following is true of the Internet and the American guarantee of freedom of speech?

A) The vastness of the Internet has overwhelmed the American guarantee of free speech.
B) The United States does not regulate hate speech on the Internet.
C) A large number of hate sites register their domains in the United States because of the country's free speech protections.
D) Free speech on the Internet becomes problematic because it allows extremists to spread their message.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 49

Which of the following statements about new technology and democracy is NOT accurate?

A) New technology has created an uneven playing field for candidates and political groups.
B) New technology makes mobilization more affordable.
C) New technology has made young people more interested in the news.
D) New technology increases the likelihood of unanticipated negative media coverage.
E) New technology can be a tool to bring democracy to the masses.

Question 50

In June of 2013, Edward Snowden leaked information that which agency had been the primary agency monitoring Americans' communications?

A) State Department
B) Department of Defense
C) National Security Agency
D) Treasury Department
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 51

In 2016, the Russians created an elaborate social media structure designed to undermine which presidential candidate?

A) Barack Obama
B) Hillary Clinton
C) Donald J. Trump
D) Gary Johnson
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 52

Who uses the Internet? Discuss the digital divide.

Question 53

Shortly after he fled the United States, Edward Snowden was given asylum in

A) Sweden.
B) Norway.
C) Cuba.
D) Russia.
E) North Korea.

Question 54

The WikiLeaks website, which released millions of secret government documents, is an example of what mode of political participation?

A) e-campaigning
B) macro-protesting
C) hacktivism
D) microtargeting
E) e-mobilization

Question 55

Spawned by frustration over the partisan bickering surrounding President Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings, two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs started MoveOn.org, which is now best known for its successful

A) e-mobilization.
B) hacktivism.
C) Foursquare.
D) micro-blogging.
E) wiki.

Question 56

To eliminate the need for cumbersome streams of e-mails containing revised versions of documents, some government officials rely on an Internet-based editing tool that allows documents to be created and edited online by multiple individuals. This is known as a

A) Foursquare.
B) wiki.
C) micro-blog.
D) vlog.
E) virtual community.

Question 57

Which of the following is an example of the type of service that will enable government to provide direct services to residents and visitors so that they can search nearby restaurants by health-department grade or access timely emergency services?

A) Foursquare
B) wiki
C) legacy systems
D) Twitter
E) Facebook

Question 58

Which of the following is the best evidence of the change in the nature of political advertising?

A) negative ads
B) data-driven Internet ads
C) 60-second ads
D) television ads
E) the need for a media strategy

Question 59

Through the use of e-Government, the United States government hopes to

A) offer services more efficiently.
B) offer services cost-effectively.
C) increase transparency.
D) provide more information about government services and processes.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 60

The on-demand news cycle has done which of the following?

A) increased the importance of the news cycle
B) made candidates more capable of manipulating the news cycle
C) allowed candidates to be better able to manage unanticipated media coverage
D) made it necessary for candidates to be constantly ready to spin events in their favor
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 61

Outline some of the new modes of political participation brought about by technology.

Question 62

Discuss the free speech concerns that have arisen because of the rapid rise of the Internet and related technologies.

Question 63

What has been the effect of the rapid expansion of Internet technologies on the ability of presidential campaigns to manage the news?

Question 64

What are the key controversies currently surrounding the government's technology-based domestic surveillance programs?

Question 65

How did the use of technology in the 2008 presidential election make it different from previous presidential elections?

Question 66

What is Net neutrality? Should those who own or are running the Internet pipeline be able to control the information that flows through it?

Question 67

Describe virtual communities and discuss their impact on civic engagement and participation in the real world.

Question 68

Discuss the transformation of media from a "one-way" channel of information transmission to "two-way" street of information exchange.

Question 69

What are some of the downsides of the use of technology in politics?