Media Studies quiz#1

Who argued that mass media is not of the masses, but should be?

Theodor Adorno

Which German-Jewish philosopher and Frankfurt School figure wrote the essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"?

Walter Benjamin

What is the concept of "imagined communities," and who developed it?

The idea that the printing press made way for people to feel a sense of shared community with others they would never meet; it was developed by Benedict Anderson.

Who coined the phrase, "the medium is the message," and what does it mean?

Marshall McLuhan. It means the form in which media is presented is more important than its content.

What is the "global village" according to Marshall McLuhan?

McLuhan's idea that the age of electricity would bring about global interconnectivity, with people coming together through modern technology.

What is the difference between form and content in media studies?

Form is the physical or digital existence of media or technology. Content is the message, themes, or story being conveyed.

What is technological determinism?

The belief that technology is the primary factor in how the world operates and changes.

Define digital divide.

The disparity or gap between those who have access to digital technology and those who do not.

What is democratization of art?

The shift from art being accessible only to the elite to being available to the general public.

What is a montage?

A sequence of images or media fragments arranged to convey a specific meaning or argument as a continuous whole.

What are tiled renderings?

An assembly of images or data that represents a whole, similar to a collage.

What are two common critiques of Marshall McLuhan's "The Medium is the Message"?

It can be seen as overly simplistic, verging on technological determinism. It also risks overlooking other factors of social change, such as cultural, political, and economic contexts

What is a critique of McLuhan's "Global Village"?

It simplifies the idea of global connectivity, overlooking the negative impact of transnational and domestic economic disparities on technological infrastructure.

What objects of study has Lisa Parks told us have been included in, and expanded, media studies since the 1980s?

Parks's work focuses on media infrastructures—the physical and material systems that make media possible, such as satellites, cables, and data centers. She studies how these "backends" influence society, expanding the field beyond just the content on a screen.