MEDIA STUDIES — MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE Units 1–7 (2025 Edition)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the study guide for a media studies midterm, providing definitions and explanations for important terms.

Communication Evolution

The transition from point-to-point, to mass, to digital, and finally to convergent media.

Point-to-Point Media

One-to-one flow of communication, examples include letter, telegraph, telephone, and fax.

Mass Media

One-to-many flow of communication, including books, press, radio, movies, and TV.

Digital Media

Media that allows for many-to-many interaction enabled by digitization, particularly prominent since the 1980s.

Convergent Media

Media that blends all types, erasing distinctions between personal and mass communication.

Social Media

A hybrid, decentralized, interactive medium that allows conversation, consultation, commerce, and data registration.

Gender Gap

Disparities between genders that affect access and engagement with digital media.

Italian Media Geography

Historically plural but currently duopolistic between Rome and Milan.

RAI

Italy's national public broadcasting company, established with the first broadcast in 1954.

Mediaset

Commercial television group launched by Berlusconi in the 1980s, funded by advertising.

TV Genres

Classifications based on content and audience, influencing scheduling and programming.

Hermeneutic Code

Roland Barthes' narrative structure consisting of Enigma, Delay, and Resolution.

Denotation

The literal meaning or what is shown in a media text.

Connotation

The implied or suggested meaning of how something is shown in a media text.

Fiction vs. Faction

Distinction between fictional narratives (TV series and sitcoms) and factual narratives (reality shows and documentaries).

Four Phases of Production

The phases include Idea & Research, Pre-production, Production, and Post-production.

Producer

The individual responsible for overseeing the budget and organization of a TV production.

News Presentation Codes

Standards that influence how news is presented, including immediacy, authority, formality, neutrality, and sincerity.

Hyperreality

A concept by Baudrillard suggesting that media shapes the perception of reality.

News Values

Criteria used to evaluate news worthiness, such as impact, timeliness, prominence, conflict, and surprise.

Social Media Impact

The effects of social media on interactivity, audience participation, visual storytelling, and viral content.