Question 1

A sociologist who is concerned that people will uncritically accept political biases in the media they consume probably believes that audiences

Accepted Answer

A sociologist who is concerned that people will uncritically accept political biases in the media they consume probably believes that audiences are mostly passive and not actively seeking out alternative viewpoints or critically analyzing the information presented to them.

Question 2

What does the uses and gratifications paradigm assume about media audiences?

Accepted Answer

The uses and gratifications paradigm assumes that media audiences are actively engaged and seek out media products that will fulfill their individual needs and desires. This approach emphasizes the audience's agency and ability to take control of media content to satisfy personal needs. Therefore, options A and B, which suggest that audiences are uncritical and passive, are not correct, and option C, which implies that audiences manipulate media content, is only partially true within the framework of the uses and gratifications theory.

Question 3

An advertisement company uses online data to determine that Kelly is a white twenty-two-year-old female who goes to church every week. The advertisement company uses that data to determine which media advertisements Kelly will see online. How is the company deciding which advertisements Kelly will like?

Accepted Answer

The advertisement company is sorting Kelly and others into taste publics by using online data to determine her demographic information (white, twenty-two-year-old female who goes to church every week). Based on this information, the company can make assumptions about Kelly's interests and preferences and show her advertisements that are more likely to appeal to her. This practice is commonly referred to as "targeted advertising."

Question 4

Taste cultures are

Accepted Answer

Taste cultures refer to areas of culture that share similar aesthetics and standards of taste. This can include genres of music, fashion, cuisine, and more. It is a way for people to identify with certain cultural practices and preferences.

Question 5

What is the MOST likely reason for media outlets to impose self-censorship?

Accepted Answer

Media outlets would most likely impose self-censorship to avoid outside regulation by the government, which could result in censorship that limits their freedom of expression. This would also help maintain their editorial independence and credibility with their audience. While protecting children and increasing subscriptions may be additional factors, they are less likely to be the primary drivers for self-censorship. And competition with other media outlets would actually suggest a need to be more bold and distinctive in their reporting, rather than self-censoring.

Question 6

Some cell phone providers are now offering hardware such as small laptops. Phone companies believe that each product they offer will encourage and promote other products. For example, phones can easily send data to laptops, which can store media that can easily be watched on phones, and so on. What is this called?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of synergy, where the combination and promotion of multiple products lead to increased benefits and effectiveness for the consumer.

Question 7

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 reduced rules on cross ownership and allowed corporations to buy thousands of media outlets. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is an example of

Accepted Answer

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a deregulation measure that reduced rules on cross ownership and allowed corporations to buy multiple media outlets.

Question 8

Today, four companies sell more than 80 percent of the music purchased in the United States, although this fact is not obvious because the four companies have purchased many smaller record labels over the years. What is this called?

Accepted Answer

This is called concentration of media power, which occurs when a few companies own a large share of the market in a particular industry, in this case, the music industry.

Question 9

Why do some argue in favor of increased censorship of the media?

Accepted Answer

Some argue in favor of increased censorship of the media because they believe that violent and sexual media content has a negative impact on society. They believe that exposure to such content can lead to desensitization, aggressive behavior, and other negative effects, especially in children and teenagers. Therefore, they argue that censorship is necessary to protect the public from harmful content and promote the values of decency and morality.

Question 10

Early critics dismissed the work of director Alfred Hitchcock, but he later became one of the most revered filmmakers of all time. Why might the way we categorize the work of artists like Alfred Hitchcock change over time?

Accepted Answer

The boundaries between high culture and popular culture are not fixed and are often subject to change over time. As societal attitudes towards certain forms of art shift and evolve, artists that were once dismissed may become revered, and vice versa. Alfred Hitchcock serves as an example of this, as his work was initially dismissed by some critics but later became widely celebrated as some of the greatest films in cinematic history.

Question 11

Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer believed that "the triumph of advertising . . . is that consumers feel compelled to buy and use its products even though they see through them." What might you conclude if this is all you know about Adorno and Horkheimer?

Accepted Answer

Adorno and Horkheimer's statement reflects the idea that media messages are directly injected into passive audiences, influencing them despite their awareness, which aligns with the hypodermic needle theory. This theory suggests that media has a direct, immediate, and powerful effect on audiences, similar to the effect of being injected with a substance using a syringe (hypodermic needle).

Question 12

Some lawyers working for the Department of Justice worry that Google is abusing its power and behaving like a monopoly in the way it charges for ads. What type of lawsuit would it be if the Department of Justice filed one?

Accepted Answer

The type of lawsuit that would be filed is an antitrust lawsuit. This is when the Department of Justice takes legal action against a company for engaging in anti-competitive behavior and abusing its monopoly power.

Question 13

Jessica loves a new album for its message of female empowerment. Her friend Amal disagrees because she thinks the album objectifies women and doesn't do enough to condemn sexism. Which of the following describes Jessica and Amal's disagreement?

Accepted Answer

Jessica and Amal's disagreement is a split in the interpretation of a cultural text, as they have different opinions on the meaning and message of the album. This is an example of how cultural texts can be interpreted and understood differently by different individuals.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of net neutrality?

Accepted Answer

Net neutrality is the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally, without discrimination or preference given to certain websites, services, or devices. Therefore, option A is the only example of net neutrality listed. Options B, C, and D represent practices that violate net neutrality principles.

Question 15

Sociologists tend to stop asking ________ and start asking ________ when they reject the hypodermic needle model.

Accepted Answer

When rejecting the hypodermic needle model, sociologists tend to shift their focus from the idea that media has a direct and powerful impact on individuals to exploring how individuals actively interpret and use media in their lives. This leads to a switch from studying what media does to people to what people do with media.

Question 16

Net neutrality refers to the idea that

Accepted Answer

Net neutrality means that all internet traffic should be treated equally, and no particular website or service should be given preferential treatment over others. This means that Internet service providers (ISPs) should not be able to slow down or block certain websites or services, nor should they be able to charge more for faster access to them. Net neutrality thus ensures that the internet remains an open and level playing field for everyone.

Question 17

Communication researchers who follow media ownership saw a consistent trend of _________ characterized by mergers and buyouts through the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in fewer but larger media companies in the 2000s.

Accepted Answer

The trend described is "concentration," where media ownership becomes consolidated into fewer hands, resulting in fewer but larger media companies.

Question 18

Which Supreme Court case ruled on the criteria used to define obscenity?

Accepted Answer

Roth v. United States (1957) established that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment and established the "utterly without redeeming social value" standard for determining obscenity.

Question 19

What is implied about the meaning of media "texts" if scholars assume that audiences are active rather than passive?

Accepted Answer

If scholars assume that audiences are active rather than passive, it implies that consumers can interact with and interpret media texts in their own unique ways, potentially altering or even inverting the intended meanings. This aligns with the concept of audience reception theory, which emphasizes the importance of audience interpretation and agency in shaping media meanings. Choices A and B do not necessarily follow from this assumption, and choice C contradicts the importance of meaning in media texts.

Question 20

The assumption that media consumers automatically accept whatever meaning is in the "texts" they consume is called

Accepted Answer

The magic bullet theory, also known as the hypodermic needle theory, suggests that media messages are directly received and wholly accepted by the audience, implying a passive audience that automatically accepts the media's messages without any questioning or resistance.

Quiz 13: Leisure and Media