Com Arts 250 Vocab

technological determinism

technologies (actual devices) determine society and are primary drivers of cultural/social change

“the medium is the message”

McLuhan’s idea that content of the media is not important, fact that media’s existence is changing society is

“Extensions of Man”

media allows us to hear or see things we normally wouldn’t

monopolies of knowledge

group keeps certain technologies to themselves for personal gain (rich keeping books from poor throughout history)

time-space compression

expansion of technology allows messages to move fast, which reduces the perceived distances between places

mediated presence or absence

media can make you feel connected to others when alone/in private or can isolate you from others when in public/ in a group

global village

McLuhan believed that media would create a worldwide community, but the opposite occured

technological affordances

opportunities and constraints for action that emerge from a technology’s design and the user’s ability to engage with it

The Global Village

McLuhan’s idea that media would create a worldwide community, it has capacity to do so, but most don’t

Lev Manovich’s 5 principles of new media

analysis of the nature of new media

numerical representation

all new media is made up of digital codes

modularity

digital media is collection of discrete units that can be combined without losing independence

automation

computer programs use algorithms built into software

variability

once information is digital, can be presented in a variety of ways

transcoding

when information is stored digitally, it takes on characteristics that originate from computer

Lev Manovich (terms)

numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, transcoding

digital divide

gap between individuals who do and don’t have access to technologies

interface

connects 2 distinct components with a communication process (turns digital code into understandable graphics)

algorithms

process or set of rules to be followed, can help sift through lots of information

technological agency

technology can act independently from humans, even if it doesn’t have intention (its actions cause responses in humans, do tasks humans used to do)

reregulation

changing regulations to fit a new system, often done by adjusting policies

regulatory values

the values that guide regulation, often change based on who is in charge

public interest

belief that media needs to have people’s interests in mind

Financial Interest & Syndication Rules (FinSyn)

rules that ensure the studio that makes media is not cut out of profits by networks, go directly to affiliates

conglometation

a company that owns many different companies and consolidates them to make one big entity (Disney)

vertical integration

when a conglomerate owns companies operating at different stages of media business (owning entire production line)

horizontal intregration

conglomerate owns one or more companies at the same stage of media business

oligopoly

large media companies working together and co-owning things, allowing them to shut out competition

localism

important that local concerns be included in media, not just national/universal

culture industries

industries that combine creation, production, and commercialization of creative content, which can have form of good/service (Adoro & Horkheimer)

standardization

all businesses want money, so focused on making media that was already successful, not new ideas

recombinance

combining 2 successful types of media into 1 new thing

sameness

consuming all the same types of media causes all people to become the same

no such thing as orginality

everything is a result of something else, and it can still be great

ears and eyes for sale

advertisers want to be in popular shows so they gain access to viewers who can become consumers of their products

hyper commercialization

hybrid between and advertisement and another type of media (magazine with everything for sale), shows how advertising is deeply integrated

advertising-friendly media

media producers want to maintain good relationships with advertisers, so carefully shape content in way that won’t upset them

McAllister’s 7 effects of advertising

advertising causes many biases in media

“don’t bite the hand” effect

TV programs do not criticize advertisers because of pressure from them

“plugola” effect

speaking highly of advertisers (product placement, sponsorships)

“don’t rock the boat” effect

avoiding controversy in TV content so consumers remain in buying mood

“conspicuous consumption” effect

wanting to show consumers expensive lifestyles so they want to spend money

“that’s entertainment” effect

advertising can play into keeping people engaged in media, so they have to be entertaining

“pardon the interruption” effect

constant ads take away from the experience of watching TV

“youth will be served” effect

advertisers divide consumers into target markets and advertise more or less depending on if they think they will buy their product or not

chilling effects

media companies don’t develop programs on topics they think advertisers won’t support, causes censorship

psychographics

people are sorted into groups beyond race and gender, like interests, used by advertisers to find target clusters

Panopticon (Micel Foucault)

prison with guard tower in middle, but can’t see guards, represents that we know media companies are listening, but don’t know exactly when

corrupt personalization

process by which your attention is drawn to interests that are not your own

market discrimination

unfair treatment of individuals in media based on gender and race

egocasting

broadcasting to a very small audience, media that meets viewers specific wants

narrowcasting

media is directed to a narrow/specific group, not everyone

market fragmentation

marketplace is divided into many small markets, each containing consumers with different perferences

post-fordism

new focus on flexibility and customization, lots of variation, connected with rejection of sameness in 70s/80s

brand identities

pursuing a specific audience and specializing in narrower set of programs for better chance of returning viewers

media franchising

process where culture industries use already successful intellectual property to support an expanded array of cultural production (Batman)

personalization

process by which media tailors content an individual receives based on attributes it believes it knows about the individual

the long tail

most companies make the most profit off of more obscure products with smaller but dedicated markets

text

a discrete cultural object (specific show, movie, song)

ideological analysis

examines how media narratives can perpetuates stereotypes or challenge dominant cultural norms

mise-en-scene

in depth analysis of what is placed on the “stage” in each frame of film

genre

a category or group of media texts, can have certain techniques or expectations attached to them

formal analysis

sees a work of art as a bundle of components organized into structures and tried to understand how components work together to impact audience

shot scale/size

amount of subject that is visible in given frame of shot (how far away camera is)

extreme long (frame)

subject is small in frame, not cropped, lots of distance between subject and frame

extreme long (meaning)

used to introduce or focus on new location

long (frame)

subject’s full body fits nicely in frame, but less space between subject and edges

long (meaning)

used to show subject within immediate surroundings or to show full body movement

medium long (frame)

bottom of frame cuts subject off at knees

medium long (meaning)

used to establish meaning/connection between subject and setting

medium (frame)

captures subject from waist up with enough background information to provide context and geography

medium (meaning)

used to set up subject in conversation or show upper body action

medium close up (frame)

crops subject from mid chest to top of head

medium close up (meaning)

used to easily subject’s emotions while still being able to see background

close up (frame)

entire face is visible and frame crops subject near neck/shoulders

close up (meaning)

used to show person’s reaction during conversation or moment of personal reflection or an object of interest

extreme close up (frame)

subject’s face doesn’t completely fit in frame, top of head or chin is cropped out

extreme close up (meaning)

get impression of being very near, maybe uncomfortably so to what we are supposed to be looking at as viewers

camera angle

typically only analyze if it is not at eye level

low angle (angle)

camera is low and tilted up toward subject

low angle (meaning)

used to mimic perspective of child or make subject seem powerful/important

high angle (angle)

camera is looking down at subject, either just barely or dramatically, aka birds-eye or god’s view

high angle (meaning)

used to give viewer context and scale through lots of visual information

canted/Dutch angle (angle)

involves a tilt against horizon line in either direction

canted/Dutch angle (meaning)

used to conote a world where things may not be as they seem or that the subject’s worldview is slightly askew or space that is inhabited by subjects is haunted/mysterious

forms of meaning

different levels of meaning a text can have

referential meaning

refers to things/places that already have significance in real life so viewer can understand 

explicit meaning

obvious point film is trying to make, more overt/obvious

implicit meaning

viewer has to dig for meanings and their own interpretations of film

symptomatic meaning

more abstract and general meanings, getting at film’s involuntary deeper meaning

ideology

a system of ideas that shape how we understand and interact with the world

hegemony

dominance of single ideology to the extreme point that it is accepted as common sense

excorporation

tries to pull away from hegemony through critiques

incorporation

hegemony often works by pulling in critiques

normalization

media messages create an idea of what is “normal”

semiotics

study of meaning, understanding of society through reading signs

polysemy

words, images, and texts can have multiple meanings

syntagmatic connnections

how signs are connected alongside each other in sequence, signify different things alone and together

paradigmatic connections

exist between things perceived to be similar, in same category

myth

strong pervasive, ideological message about what world is like that is accepted as the truth