COMM 311 Final Exam

A group of computers that is networked together and used by hackers to steal information is called a?

Botnet

Turning off the GPS function of your smartphone prevents any tracking of your phone's location.

False

If a public Wi-Fi network (such as in an airport or café) requires a password to access, is it generally safe to use that network for sensitive activities such as online banking?

No It's not safe

What does the "https://" at the beginning of a URL denote, as opposed to "http://" (without the "s")?

That information entered into the site is encrypted

What kind of cybersecurity risks can be minimized by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?

Use of insecure Wi-Fi networks

Which of the following four passwords is the most secure?

WTh!5Z

"Private browsing" is a feature in many internet browsers that lets users access web pages without any information (like browsing history) being stored by the browser. Can internet service providers see the online activities of their subscribers when those subscribers are using private browsing?

Yes

Media-supply side

• Abundant supply in media content and services

Profusion

• An abundance of information and channels for communication

Objective

• An attempt to produce a more accurate measurement of individual's social media usage by using eye tracking technology to determine what content they attend to

Audiences

• Becoming better informed, more participating citizens • Fake news, spiral of silence

Capital One data breach

• Check credit report annually • Freeze credit account • File taxes early • Change online logins & passwords

Talking about security can be complicated, and conversations are usually reactive, not proactive

• Civic education • Awareness • Literacy/knowledge

Media

• Cross-media marketing at big live TV events, film marketing, native ad, sponsored ad • Celebrity practice on social media journalism in the digital age

Age

• Differences by age are less dramatic than those related to educational attainment. • 18- to 29-year olds: 6 / 13 • 65 and older: 5 / 13

When information is abundant, the problem is

• Finding the wanted information • Who controls the search process? (e.g., Google)

Potential problems with self-reporting when it comes to exposure to different content on social media?

• High risk of incidental exposure • Blurred lines between different types of content • People may inaccurately recall their social media use • Social desirability bias

Audiences-demand side

• Impossible to know all the options at their disposal • Audience engagement • The widening gap between limitless media and limited attention • Makes it a challenge for anything to attract an audience

Polarization

• Increasing ignorance of the views and logic of those with whom we disagree or of different cultural traditions • Because people behave homophilically and expose themselves to opinions reinforcing their own views • But people do not necessarily avoid opposing views

Media measures

• Measuring media use and engagement • Face recognition, eye tracking

News purpose

• Not primary purpose, ancillary experience • Exposure to news on social media is unavoidable • Majority of Americans say they at least somewhat enjoy following the news

Do people over/underestimate their attention to different content & style? (i.e., Comparing self-reports & eye-tracking results, would people say they pay attention to certain content or styles yet their eyeballs actually look at some other content or styles?)

• Overestimation (i.e., Participants say they attend to these content/styles a lot, but actually their eyeballs don't attend to these as much) • Content (News, political) & Style (Picture) • Underestimation (i.e., Participants say they do not attend to these content/styles a lot, but actually their eyeballs attend to these more than they say) • Content (Social) & Style (Links, Status-only)

Which style do you think will receive the most attention?

• Posts with pictures>Links>status only

Politics purpose

• Rarely a motivation for Facebook users • Few people engage with political content on social media • Although large proportion reports seeing political content, such content is generally disliked or ignored

Why do we use media?

• Revival of uses and gratifications research across different platforms thanks to the Internet and the personal choice that has come with it • In a broad sense we seek out and spend more time with media that fulfills our goals

Which of the following is an example of a "phishing" attack?

• Sending someone an email that contains a malicious link that is disguised to look like an email from someone the person knows • Creating a fake website that looks nearly identical to a real website in order to trick users into entering their login information • Sending someone a text message that contains a malicious link that is disguised to look like a notification that the person has won a contest

Three main goals for uses and gratifications modified for the current study

• Social - Social • Entertainment - News • Informational - Political

To which content do you think people will pay the most attention?

• Social = news > political

Social purpose

• Staying in touch with friends and families • Seeing/sharing photographs/videos • Reconnecting/staying connected with old friends

Pluralism

• The media have hegemonically distorted the flow of information and public discussion • To reinforce and reproduce their position of dominance • Because of the historical dominance of the capitalist elite

Education

• The most consistent differences are related to educational attainment. • College degrees or higher: 7 / 13 • High school diplomas or less: 4 / 13

The difficulty of trying to apply hard and fast bureaucratically enforced rules

• To censor one category of speech and protect another

Polysemy

• What one says and what another hears can be different. • Due to ambiguity of words and images