Sociology: Media, Technology, and Sociological Perspectives

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering sociological paradigms, technology, digital inequality, media socialization, and institutional media ownership.

Conflict Theory

A sociological paradigm that focuses on power dynamics and how legal rules and institutions protect owners' interests, such as explaining why eviction filings cluster in low-income and racially segregated neighborhoods.

Functionalism

A sociological theory that views social groups as being like live organisms and focuses on the cohesion and stability of the group.

Intersection of Biography and History

Locating your personal life story within a specific historical moment and the social forces of that time.

Gatekeeping

The sorting process by which thousands of possible messages are shaped into a mass media-appropriate form and reduced to a manageable amount.

Digital Divide

The uneven access to technology around race, class, and geographic lines.

Technology

The application of science to solve problems in daily life.

Knowledge Gap

Differences in information and knowledge that develop as people have unequal access to technology.

Media

All print, digital, and electronic means of communication.

Technological Inequality

Inequality in which the specific quality and type of access (such as home broadband versus a smartphone with limited data) affects people's opportunities.

E-Readiness

The capacity to interpret, evaluate, and process information effectively, which requires support beyond merely providing hardware devices like laptops.

Net Neutrality

The principle that internet service providers should treat internet data equally.

Functionalist Perspective on Media

A theoretical approach that examines how media contribute to society's operation, such as emergency broadcasts helping communities coordinate responses to hurricanes.

Conflict Perspective on Media

A research approach that analyzes how wealthy ownership influences which viewpoints receive news coverage and who controls communication resources.

Symbolic Interactionism (Media and Consumption)

A sociological perspective emphasizing how possessions and consumer choices, like expensive phone brands, carry shared meanings about status and success.

Media Socialization

The process by which media content transmits social expectations and gender norms, such as portraying mothers as responsible for housework and fathers for earning money.

Concentration of Media Ownership

The consolidation of multiple television stations, newspapers, and websites under a single news company, raising concerns that audiences may encounter fewer independent viewpoints.