MCJ101 Test 1
What are critics five concerns about low culture?
1. An inability to appreciate fine art 2. A tendency to exploit high culture 3. A throwaway ethic 4. A diminished audience for high culture 5. Dulling our cultural tastebuds
What are the four stages of media innovation?
1. Emergence- inventors and technicians try to solve a particular problem. (iPhone is thought of) 2. Entrepreneurial- inventors and investors determine a practical and marketable use for a new device/technology. (Apple markets it) 3. Mass medium- business figure out how to market the new device or medium as a consumer product (iPhone becomes available in stores) 4. Convergence- older media are reconfigured in various forms on newer media (iPhone is a watch, calculator, camera, minicomputer, and etc.)
What are the two types of licensing in the gaming industry?
1. Pay royalties to the console manufactures (Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony) for the right to distribute a game using their systems. 2. Intellectual properties- stories, characters, personalities, and music that require licensing agreements. For example, John Madden reportedly signed a $150 million deal with EA Sports in 2005 that allowed the company to use his name and likeness for the next 10 years.
What four terms describe postmodern culture?
1. Populism- tries to appeal to ordinary people by highlighting or creating an argument between "the people" and the "elite" (Ex. Occupy Wall Street) 2. Diversity- splintering of options, blurring of lines between high and low culture (Ex. Daily Show with Trevor Noah) 3. Nostalgia- criticize modern values for laughing the groundwork for dehumanizing technological advances and bureaucratic problems (Ex. Trump) 4. Paradox- integrating retro beliefs and contemporary culture (Ex. 19 Kids and Counting on TLC)
What are the dual roles of media convergence?
1. The technological merging of CONTENT across different media channels- the magazine articles, radio programs, songs, TV shows, video games, and movies now available on the internet through laptops, tablets, and smart phones. 2. Cross platform-A business model that involves consolidating various media holdings, such as cable connections, phone services, TV and internet access under one corporate umbrella. The goal is not necessarily to offer consumers more choice in their media options but to better manage resources and maximize profits.
Define cross platform.
A business model that involves consolidating various media holdings, such as cable connections, phone services, TV and internet access under one corporate umbrella. The goal is not necessarily to offer consumers more choice in their media options but to better manage resources and maximize profits. Ex. Comcast
Define oligopoly.
A business situation in which a few firms control most of an industry's production and distribution resources. Universal music, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group
What did the internet begin as?
A military communication network called ARPAnet
What are games that represent the current standard for technical excellence and can cost as much as blockbuster firm to make and promote?
AAA games
What is the most popular form of game?
Action
___________ signaled electronic gaming's potential as a social medium because many games allowed players to play with or complete against each other.
Arcades
What does A&R do?
Artist and repertoire, the talent scouts of the music business who discover, develop and sometimes manage artists.
Define media literacy.
Attaining an understanding of mass media and how they construct meaning
What are the three pay models in the gaming industry?
Boxed game/retail model, subscription model, and free-to-play/freemium
Why have people moved away from phone-line access/dial up?
Broadband became more accessible.
How did Internet Explorer become the most-used browser?
By being bundled with Microsoft products
How did Google become a popular search engine?
By creating an algorithm based on popularity on the basis of how many other pages linked to it.
Define analog recording.
Captures the fluctuations of sound waves and stores those signals in a record's grooves or a tape's continuous stream of magnetized particles.
Describe culture as a skyscraper.
Culture is perceived as a hierarchy with supposedly superior products at the top and inferior ones at the bottom. High culture: Ballet, symphony, art museums, classic literature Low culture: soap operas. Rock music, reality TV, and video games
What has replaced the postal service?
What was an essential innovation during the development stage of the Internet?
True or False: The Supreme Court agreed with the law California passed in 2005 to fine stores for selling video games rated M or AO to minors.
False.
What causes nostalgia for a "better past?"
Fear of change or of cultural differences
With what invention did communication data transmit faster?
Fiber-optic cable
Define proprietary games.
Games only available on specific consoles. However, independent game companies often distrust games played on multiple platforms.
Define data mining.
Gathering users' location and purchasing habits
What did the passing of the USA PATRIOT Act do?
Granted sweeping powers to law-enforcement agencies to intercept individuals' online communications. Designed to thwart terrorists, but critics note that it is too vaguely worded. Government agencies have obtained communication logs, web browser histories, and the online records of individual users who thought their online activities were private.
What did Plato, Socrates' student, think of the Socratic method and the written word?
He thought the written word would threaten oral discussion.
Define digital communication.
Images texts, and sounds are converted into electronic signals that are reassembled as a precise reproduction.
Define cookies.
Information profiles that are automatically collected and transferred between computer servers
Define spyware.
Information-gathering software that is often secretly bundled with free downloaded software
What was the reasoning behind video games becoming free speech?
Judge Scalia said video games communicate ideas and social messages.
Why do publishers submit games for ESRB rating?
Many retailers won't sell games that aren't rated.
What has led to growing media consumption?
Media multitasking
What are the five leading companies in the digital world?
Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon
What are the three major console companies control the video game industry?
Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft
What was the first home television game?
Odyssey
Define convergence.
Older media is reconfigured in various forms on newer media
What did the passing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 do?
Overhauled the nation's communications regulations, most regional and long-distance phone companies and cable operators have competed against one another to provide connections to the Internet.
How did other people begin using the Internet?
PCs arrived and university research computers became linked to the Internet.
Define selective exposure.
People typically seek messages and produce meanings that correspond to their own cultural beliefs, values, and interests. Ex. Party affiliated channels like Fox News
Define phishing.
Phony email messages that appear to be from official web sites asking customers to update their credit card numbers, account passwords, and other personal information.
Describe culture as a map.
Rather than a high v. low vertical hierarchy, culture is seen as an ongoing and complicated process that allows us to better account for our diverse and individual tastes.
Define cultural model of communication.
Recognizes that individuals bring diverse meanings to messages, given factors and differences such as gender, age, education level, ethnicity, and occupation.
What did the passing of the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 do?
Required schools and libraries that receive federal funding for internet access to use software that filters out any visual content deemed obscene, pornographic, or harmful to minors, unless disabled at the request of adult users.
Which independent, mobile gaming company was an overnight success with Angry Birds?
Rovio
What is the linear model of communication?
Sender (Netflix) Messages (TV show) Channel (TV or computer) Gatekeeper (TV producer) Feedback (audience commentary)
Define social viewing.
Sharing commentary with friends on social media while you are viewing a TV event.
Define modding.
Slang for modifying game software or hardware
What is helping narrow the digital divide?
Smartphones; however, even as the internet matures and becomes more accessible, wealthy users are still more able to buy higher levels of privacy and faster speeds of access.
What has proven to be an effective tool for democracy and for undermining repressive regimes that thrive on serving up propaganda and hiding their atrocities?
Social media
Define art.
Something that reflects our culture and can be "felt."
Define critical process.
Takes us through the steps of descriptions, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation to become media literate.
What became the most common figure of player control and position identification?
The avatar
Define e-commerce.
The buying and selling of goods and services on the internet
Define communication.
The creation and use of symbol systems that convey information and meaning.
Define mass media.
The cultural industries or channels of communication that produce and distribute media (books, TV, songs, newspapers, etc.) to large numbers of people.
What is the Socratic method?
The dialogue style of communication and inquiry through public discussion or debate.
What industry makes the most money?
The gaming industry
Define digital divide.
The growing contrast between the "information haves"- those who can afford to purchase computers and pay for internet services, and the "information have-nots"- those who may not be able to afford a computer or pay for internet services.
Define identity theft.
The illegal obtaining of personal credit card and identity information in order to frequently spend other people's money
Define narrative.
The interwoven threads of our lives and culture that are communicated through mass media.
What is an example of mechanical gaming?
The pinball machine.
Define net neutrality.
The principle that every website and every user- whether a multinational corporation or you-has the right to the same internet network speed and access.
What allowed for books to be distributed quickly and caused for literacy rates to increase?
The printing press.
Define collective intelligence.
The sharing of knowledge and ideas
What has mass communication accompanied?
The shift of rural and urban settings and the rise of new consumer culture.
Who did the first media convergence involve?
The sound recording and music industries.
Define culture.
The symbols of expression that individuals, groups, and societies use to make sense of daily life and articulate their values.
How did PC gaming have the advantage over early console gaming?
The versatility of keyboards and faster processing speeds allowed for richer, more detailed graphics
Define digital recording.
Translates sound waves into binary on-off pulses and stores that information as numerical code.
True or False: The marketing costs of launching an electronic game often equal or exceed the development costs.
True
How has oral communication been reinvented by social media?
Users can create their own content.
Where did the first pop vocalists of the 20th century come from?
Vaudeville circuits
Define advergame.
Video game created for purely promotional purposes
_____________ and ____________________ content has from time to time spurred calls for more regulation of electronic games.
Violent; misogynistic
What took the sedentary nature out of gameplay?
Wii
What is an example of a collaborative project?
Wiki Web sites enable anyone to edit and contribute to them.
How did the Internet stop illegal file sharing?
With services like Spotify and iTunes
Content is still important, but it must be _________.
digital
The era of the _______ ____________ has made singles more popular than albums, which has helped the reemergence of pop.
digital download
Casual gamers are ____________.
diverse
Due to digital convergence, gaming has become an __________ _________ _____ ____________________, rather than the niche pursuit of hard-core enthusiasts.
everyday form of entertainment
The appeal of culture is often its ______________ ______________, pulling audiences toward the security of repetition and common landmarks on the cultural map.
familiar stories
