Media Community and Citizenship Final Exam

Horizontal vs. Vertical Mergers

horizontal - buying another company of the same type vertical - buying up suppliers and distributors conglomerate - companies buying other companies of various types

Press Release

information that an organization distributes to the media intended to win publicity

Commercial Bias

information that attempts to sway participants' opinions in favor of a particular commercial product so they buy it.

Military-Entertainment Complex

large scale cooperation between military and game industries

Era of Big News

mass broadcast, highly profitable news period

Commission System

media companies paid 15% commission to agencies commission systems are now outlawed

[7] Types of Media Effects

- Cognitive Type Effect Media affects our knowledge and information about the world - Belief Type Effect Media affects our beliefs and standards of evaluation - Attitudinal Type Effect Media affects HOW we judge and evaluate; shapes our attitudes - Emotional Type Effect Media affects how we feel - Physiological Type Effect Media affects our automatic bodily responses/physiologies - Behavioral Type Effect Media affects our behaviors - Macro Type Effect Media affects our institutions, organizations, society

Ad Agency Responsibilities and Tasks (3)

- Counsel businesses about how to best sell products and services - Offer design services and create ads - Offer expertise on ad placement

Positioning

- Creating a product identity to appeal to a specific target audience o Positioned ads help cut through ad clutter

Age Compression

- Marketing of items for older children and adults to young children

Manifested Effects vs. Process Effects

- Media effects we can easily observe - Media effects that are influencing us all the time; remember, we are constantly in a process of being influenced!

[4] Dimensions of Media Effects

- Time When a media effect begins to appear (not how long an effect lasts!)o [Immediate vs. Long-Term] - Valence Media's power to influence an individual or audience; can be positive, negative, neutral - Intentionality intentional or unintentional effects of our media exposure - Type of Effect various ways in which media affects us

Viral Advertising

- Using novel/entertaining content to encourage viral (quick, widespread) online sharing

Agenda Setting Power of Ads

- ads have agenda setting power like news. - ads imply status of brands and products - research shows strong preference for advertised brands. - ads have moved beyond agenda setting

SIP Model

- natural tendency to reduce uncertainty when meeting new people - strong urge to quickly seek out commonalities, shared interests - stronger attraction exists earlier in online spaces

1996 Telecommunications Act & Effects

- overhauled the 1934 Federal Communications Act - regulated the internet for the 1st time -claimed to foster competition through further deregulation - result: massive increase in media conglomeration and consolidation - relaxed previous limitations

Technological Determinism

-'machine changes us' -technology plays a significant role in changing society -determines social structures and cultural values -people are passive, helpless, unable to resist power of tech. -hyperbolic, exaggerated rhetoric at the core of this perspective

Objective Journalism

-1886 New York Times tries different style of news -goal was to present clean and true news-this was really successful -neutral, impartial, informational

Reasons to be wary of treating only children as a special audience

-Decrease in active play -Higher screen time associated with obesity -Representation of violence has huge impacts on children's development

The Propaganda Model of News

-Democracy manipulated by media -Economic, social, political consent is manufactured -News more interested in profits than informing public

Ivy Lee

-Father of modern public relations -"press release"

Edward Bernays

-First to teach and write about public relations in the 20s -argued PR manipulation was essential to democracy -without manipulation there will be chaos -worked with many powerful companies -NAZIs drew heavily on this idea

Committee on Public Information (CPI)

-Government propaganda effort (Woodrow Wilson) to get the US into WW1 -Edward Bernays was invited

Role of Advertising in Society

-Informs consumers about products, costs, availability -makes markets immediately available -stimulates production, encourages spending -generates revenue for news and entertainment companies

Penny Press

-Printed on letter sized paper and sold them for a penny -middle class could now afford this information -highly sensationalized and mainly focused on crimes, police reports, etc. and also just untrue information (ex. life on the moon) -was in simple language -incorporated advertising for the first time

Magic Window Theory

-children view TV as window to reality, regardless of content -susceptible to negative effects

Social Shaping Perspective

-combines both perspectives (SCOT and tech determinism) -tech shapes us, but social forces shape tech -constant ongoing process

Direct-to-Consumer Ads

-distract from weak arguments -benefits presented more slowly than risks -risks in one segment of the commercial -visual images downplay risks -ex. Prescription commercials show happy people during list of risk factors)

Early News

-early news was spread by word of mouth -1440: printing press invented -1500s: raw data sold as lists (italy) ~this was mainly for wealthy merchants ~info. such as when a ship would be arriving

4 parental media regulation styles

-imposing restrictions: parents regulate how much, when, which types of media is watched -co-viewing: parents watch media with children -active mediation: having conversations with children about media content; positive/negative -use program ratings/V-chips: restrictions based on the ratings

2 arguments for treating children as a special audience

-lack of experience -lack of maturity

Reasons for increasing media production and consumption

-media production is accelerating-more people alive to produce messages-more technology exists to facilitate media production

Media Multiplexity

-most relationships are conducted through multiple mediums -closer the relationship, the more mediums used

Agenda Setting

-news media has power to select and emphasize what is important -this power is increasing (internet allows more options to get/give info) -audiences are fragmenting, becoming more niche -has led to mass polarization

Hyper-Local News

-news tailored to meet needs of fragmented, niche audiences -be wary of having a narrow focus

Social Construction of Technology

-opposite of technological determinism -new tech results of social forces -human action shapes tech -emphasis on social constructs -social, economic, political factors influence use of tech -comm about tech is more powerful than tech itself -concerns about tech lead to more panic-lots of concern about children - teenage girls specifically

Sleeper Effect

-over time, we forget the source of false information and start repeating it as if it were true -particularly vulnerable to this in transported state -suspension in disbelief

Under/Over/Misrepresentation in Entertainment Media

-overrepresentation: -young, white, male characters(possibly reflection of media workforce) -doctors -police -lawyers -forensic specialists underrepresentation: -women -hispanic people -children -elderly with disabilities -class representation inverse of reality -abundance of stereotypes, cliches

Supertaskers

-persons who are exceptionally good at task-switching -2.5% of population -possibly related to field dependency

Next Step Reality ( and all associated content)

-plausible messages we can identify with and relate to -messages that are more exciting than everyday life -examples: star trek; people are relatable but they are in space -producer strategy: -anchor content in real world-tweak reality incrementally -suspension of disbelief -news media: -pressure to capture our attention -choose stories that will get the most attention -journalists frame our reality

Yellow Journalism

-provocative, misleading, tabloid-style news -often eye-catching, but often untrue information

Characteristics of the Mass Audience

-same general lifestyle -anonymous to businesses -no interaction within audience -absence of social organization, customs, etc.

[3] Reasons that Complicate Public Perceptions of News Bias

-traditional news is less biased (historically) -most feel news has a strong political bias -most feel news is biased against their political views

Representations of Violence in Children's Media

-violence has a huge impact on children's development -it is often glamorous, sanitized, funny -makes violence more digestible -usually violence is done by attractive main character -violence is often justified and goes unpunished -often hyper-realistic, yet consequence free

[4] Recurring Themes of Technological Determinism

1) authenticity-tech impacts authentic nature of communication, relationships-mediated, less real than face to face-relationships initiated through tech are less real 2) quality of interaction-tech, strips communication of social cues-comm. through tech is absent of real meaning 3) anonymity-negatively impacts mediated relationships-absence of social cues creates issues of trust, deception-allows more truthful, honest comm.-fewer social repercussions to being honest-offers liberation from prejudices, assumptions 4) impacts F2F relationships-tech will damage or improve f2f relationships-early tech fostered hope about tech and relationships-more recent tech has spread a lot of anxiety anxieties, fears, hopes and dreams about tech are reflective of larger social concerns

Stages of Media Literacy

1. Acquiring fundamentals 2. Language Acquisition 3. Narrative Acquisition 4. Developing Skepticism 5. Intensive Development (stay in this stage) 6. Experimental Exploring 7. Critical Appreciation8. Social Responsibility

1934 Federal Communication Act

FCC was created to regulate mass media - replaced the Federal Radio Commission

Factual vs. Social Information

Factual Information: raw, unprocessed context free information Social Information: information we learn from observing others

Unique Selling Proposition

a desirable, exclusive, and believable advertising appeal selected as the theme for a campaign

Automaticity: Advantages and Disadvantages

a mental state where our minds operate without any conscious effort from us Advantages: Efficiency Disadvantages: We miss messages, and Message fatigue

The Buying Funnel

a multi-step process of a consumer's path to purchase a product - from awareness to education to preferences and intent to final purchase

Contextual Bias

absence of historical, social, political context

Equity Contracts

agencies are paid with shares in a company

Entertainment Formula

begin stories with shocking info that will grab audience attention

Convergence

blending together of previously separate channels of communications

[3] Redundancy Techniques

bunching, trailing, and multimedia trailing - Techniques used to reduce the cost of repeat advertising

Performance Contracts

business pays base production cost plus negotiated profit if ad campaign is successful

Inverted Pyramid Formula

craft stories in order of importance

[4] Reasons for Hyper-Personal Communication Online

deep personal info shared early in online relationships 1. we fill in absent social cues with our imagination 2. we can be more selective in what we disclose 3. more control over message production/quality (asynchronous communication) 4. anticipation increases our attraction + desire

Direct v. Indirect support

direct-buying media products indirect-buying advertised products, giving attention to ads A direct payment comes from the purchaser of the media product, while an indirect payment involves sponsorship or advertiser support of the product.

Economies of Scale v. Scope

economies of scale - bigger the operation lower the per unit cost economies of scope - cheaper for multiple items to be offered by a firm then sold separately

Elaboration Likelihood Model

explains how we process messages -central route: critically evaluate messages -peripheral route: distracted by message cues route is determined by motivation and ability

Stealth Marketing

guerrilla marketing tactic in which consumers do not realize that they are being targeted for a marketing message

Representations of Women-of-Color in Ads

often times are seen in animal print or jungle settings

Technological Domestication

over time, technology becomes 'tamed'; accepted part of everyday life

3rd Person Effect

people believe others are more affected by media messages than they are themselves

[3] Different Perspectives of News

political philosophy(normative): -news should cover important events and keep you up to date -editors should be experts -news should be objective, free from elite influence and bias -emphasis on the responsibility to our democracy professional journalism: -held by the journalists -avoid editorialization -practice constraint economic marketing: - held by owners, critics - news exists to make money - strongest force shaping news is commercialism - financial pressure to capture attention

Social Cocooning

self isolation and emotional insulation from others

Filter Bubble

the restriction of a user's perspective that can be created by personalized search technologies

Flow State

the smooth passage of time that occurs during a peak experience, when you are completely immersed in an activity in the present moment

Chronic Multitaskers

the worst at multitasking

Fourth Estate

unofficial branch of government that checks power of other three branches of government

Switching Costs

what we sacrifice when task-switching: time, attention, quality, safety, etc.

Age Compression [be able to define]

A phenomenon also referred to as "kids getting older younger," in which marketers target younger children with products once meant for older children or teenagers They are being used by marketing companies to see what products would sell best (G.I.A) They're being asked to dress older, wear makeup, etc. They're expected to navigate all the violence they see online/TV

[4] Dimensions of Media Literacy

1. Cognitive 2. Emotional 3. Aesthetic 4. Moral

[6] Baseline Factors

1. Developing maturity 2. cognitive ability 3. personal locus 4. knowledge structures 5. sociological factors 6. Media Exposure habits

[3] Information processing tasks

1. Filtering: deciding whether to ignore or pat attention to a media message-our minds have programmed filters that guide our processing of messages 2. Meaning Matching: matching symbols with their denoted meaning 3. Meaning Construction: making sense of the meaning of a message *subjective process*-frames: personal experiences that we use to interpret media messages

Audience Segmentation Methods [5]

1. Geographic: divided by location 2. Demographic: divided by distinct but stable characteristics (race, class, income, etc) 3. Social class: divided by attitudes about money 4. Geodemographic: people choose to live in neighborhoods with other people like them 5. Psychographics: measure beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, emotions, etc.

[5] filters

1. Ownership:-profit motive creates bias-news biased in favor of corporate interests-objectively often sacrificed when conflicts of interest arise 2. Advertising:-advertisers compete to cover cost of production-audience attention is central product-news is simply filler to attract audiences-news that conflicts with advertisers is censored 3. Sourcing:-news has symbiotic relationship with elite sources-journalists concentrate where news exists-journalists who offend sources, denied access-news reluctant to offend sources, lose money 4. Flak:-negative response to news stories-letters, phone call, lawsuits, petitions, etc.-efforts to discredit anyone who challenges corporate news narrative 5. Fear:-news exploits fear, encourages hatred of out-groups-goal is to marginalize undesirables, scare everyone else-scared people accept authority-scary portrayals of enemies used to silence critics

[3] Types of Exposure & Attention

1. Physical: occupying the same space & time as a media message 2. Perceptual: being able to receive sensory input like light & sound 3. Psychological: a trace element (sound, image, emotion, etc.) is created in your mind **For attention to occur, all 3 types of exposure must take place**

[7] Media Literacy Skills

1. analysis: break a message down into parts 2. evaluation: judging value of message 3. grouping: distinguishing among patterns in messages 4. induction: applying small patterns to larger sets of media 5. deduction: applying general principles to specific cases 6. synthesis: ability to adapt to new information 7. abstraction: condensing info into smaller descriptions

[4] States of Exposure

1. automatic: physically exposed but not aware 2. attentional: aware of the message/actively engaged 3. transported: lost sense of separateness from the message 4. self-reflexive: aware of messages and its effect on you (highest degree of awareness)

[3] Challenges/Constraints Faced by Entertainment Media Creators

1. challenge of the medium-different mediums present unique technical, financial challenges-producers balance audience expectations with new, exciting content 2. Financial Risk-media is often expensive to make, high potential to lose money-very easy to alienate audiences 3. Changing Public Taste-audiences will only tolerate so much-tolerance of language, sex, violence is always shifting-audiences have unique and often conflicting preferences, tastes

[6] Fluctuation Factors

1. content of message 2. context of portrayals 3. cognitive complexity of content 4. motivations 5. physiological, emotional, cognitive state 6. degree of identification

[4] Reasons for Rise in Popularity of Newspapers around Industrial Revolution

1. industrialization 2. urbanization (people live in cities now and have access to news) 3. immigration 4. increased literacy (outlawed child labor and started public school)

[5] Deceptive Health Patterns in Entertainment Media

1. most characters have poor health yet appear healthy 2. lots of violence, very little suffering 3. everyday illness rarely depicted 4. mentally ill people portrayed as violent and dangerous 5. overrepresentation of doctors

Who Qualifies as a Journalist

1. no licensing or certification 2. no regulation or oversight from a third party 3. incredibly diverse labor 4. journalism undergoing reverse professionalization- becoming more vague and autonomous

Forms of Public Relations Labor

1. press conferences 2. press releases 3. speech writing 4. special events 5. crisis management 6. internal relations 7. political lobbying 8. networking 9. social media management 10. market research

[7] Criteria for Evaluating Newsworthiness

1. timeliness (recency of event) 2. significance (importance of event) 3. proximity (nearness of event) 4. prominence (important people involved) 5. conflict (severity of disagreement) 6. human interest (emotionally powerful) 7. deviance (unusual news)

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing

Inbound marketing refers to marketing activities that bring visitors in, rather than marketers having to go out to get prospect's attention. Inbound marketing earns the attention of customers, makes the company easy to be found and draws customers to the website by producing interesting content. Outbound marketing: You create ads that bring your products or services to the customer.

Long-Tail Marketing

Long-tail Marketing-new marketing strategy-identify & market to niche audiences

Lowest Common Denominator

Lowest Common Denominator-avoid themes, language, character, etc. that might offend or alienate-appeal to many, offend few-outdated strategy

Benjamin Day

Printed/created first successful penny paper-New York Sun in 1833

Product Placement

Putting products into TV shows and movies where they will be seen

Simplified Extended Conflict (Formulas)

Simplify/polarize an event; draw it out as long as possible -ex: political coverage around campaigns

SIDE Model

Social Identity Theory of Deindividualization - platform/medium determines level of identity manipulation -Radically misleading / false identities / are rare -Idealized self > fictitious self

Rich Media, Poor Democracy Review Notes (study thoroughly)

Study Robert McChesney notes The massive explosion of media made possible by private media companies has led to a decaying of democracy. -government created this system -FCC issued monopoly licenses -corporate responsibility to promote democracy -FCC is powered by design -large corporations determine distribution -regulation=tool of corporate power

1980 FTC Improvement Act [results of]

The FTC would no longer have any authority to decide on any rules regarding advertising aimed towards children. This allowed advertisers for children to continue marketing as they were and had even more power.

Selective Exposure

The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases.

Symbolic Advertising [how does this work]

The product is pushed on it's social meaning, no longer based on what it will do or how it will taste. The children now want the product because it is "cool" and will define them as an individual.