Language, Attention, and Meaning in Media

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to language, attention, communication, democracy, and nationalism as discussed in the lecture.

Attention

The way we focus and filter information, shaped by external forces like media.

Attention Economy

A concept where companies profit by capturing and maintaining consumer attention.

Two-step flow model

A theory that information flows from media to opinion leaders and then to the public.

Audience Commodity

The concept that audience attention is sold to advertisers.

Langue

The overall system of language in a society, according to Ferdinand de Saussure.

Parole

Individual speech acts or expressions in a particular language context.

Signifier

The physical form of a sign, such as sound or image, in semiotics.

Signified

The concept or meaning that a sign represents in semiotics.

Cultural Hegemony

Gramsci's idea that power is maintained by winning consent and shaping beliefs.

Common Sense

Ideas widely accepted as 'natural' that are actually socially constructed.

Intersectionality

A framework to understand how overlapping identities shape experiences of oppression.

Habitus

Learned habits and dispositions acquired through life experiences.

Forms of Capital

Resources that influence social position, including economic, cultural, and social capital.

Neo-colonialism

A form of indirect control where nations appear independent but are economically dominated externally.

Data Colonialism

The colonization of human life through data, affecting personal and cultural identities.

Imagined Communities

Benedict Anderson's concept that nations are socially constructed despite citizens not meeting most members.

Banal Nationalism

Everyday signs that reinforce national identity, often unnoticed.

Visibility/Invisibility

The dichotomy that explores who is recognized in the public sphere and who is marginalized.