Media 1 QUIZ NOTES

Minimal Effects Theory

-Media effects are indirect and merely reinforce and individual's existing attitudes and beliefs rather than changing them Ex: [Fyn, a business major, reads the "Business" section of the Los Angeles Times newspaper every morning and skips the other sections]

Third Person Effect

-People believe others are more affected by media messages than they are themselves Ex: [Maria, who hates social media and online advertising, doesn't feel influenced by the media, she worries about how children are influenced by all of the advertisement they see]

Global Village Theory

-Electronic media collapses space and time barriers in human communication, enabling people to communicate on a global scale Ex: [Many media articles stated it was a sad day for the world when Paris was attacked in 2015 and people all over the world posted their support on social media ]

Cultivation Theory

-Heavy television viewing leads individuals to perceive reality that are consistent with the portrayals they see on television Ex: [When Andy first moved to Cali from NJ, he was asked why he didn't have an Italian accent and why he doesn't know how to fist pump, since many of the reality TV shows featuring people from NJ seem to support this trend]

Social Learning Theory

-People learn by observing and modeling the attitudes and behavior of others. There is a link between the mass media and behavior Ex: [The NRA and its supporters often blame violence in video games, film and TV for the ride in gun violence due to the salience of graphic violence in these media]

Uses and Gratifications

-People use media to satisfy their needs. This theory places more focus on the audience instead of the actual message itself by asking. What do people do with media rather than what does media do to people Ex: [Some people watch the Superbowl on TV because they are sports fans, others watch it for the commercials, or even just to enjoy the ambience of hosting friends and family]

Symbolic Annihilation

-The absence of representation, underrepresentation, or trivialization of some groups of people in the media, often based on their race, sex, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Absence in the media can erase groups and individuals from public consciousness Ex: [Early cinema had an extremely racially biased cast of lead actors, creating and absence of ethnically diverse main characters for entire generations]

Agenda Setting Theory

-The media determine the major topics of discussion for individuals and society. The media can't tell us what to think, but it can tell us what to think about Ex: [A feb radio broadcast with its romantic ballads, flower shop and diamond commercials, and the radio hosts joking about the joys or failures of speed dating is reminding Tim that Valentines Day is approaching]

Hypodermic Needle Theory

-The media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on audiences. The direct flow of information is from the sender to a passive audience, which is immediately influenced by the message Ex: [The radio broadcast of Orsen Wells' War of the Worlds" seemed at first to have literally caused widespread panic among communities listening to the program]

Semiotics

-The study of social and cultural meanings of signs/symbols through the analysis of signifiers (physical form) and the signified (the meaning) Ex: [Based on the theory of,________., when Jackson saw a red octagonal street sign at the end of a road with the instructional text missing, he recalled that the meaning was that he needed to stop and proceed with caution]