FILM EXAM

what is media determinism?

The idea that media technologies shape society, culture and human behaviour

what is cultural determinism?

The belief that culture shapes how media is created and used

What is reductionism?

Oversimplifying complex issues by reducing them too one cause

Give one problem with media determinism

it ignores social differences- race, gender, class

give one problem with cultural determinism

it underestimates the influence of technology

what is Ideology?

A system of beliefs, values and ideas that shape how people understand the world, often reinforcing power structures

Hegemony (Gramsci)

The process by which dominant groups maintain power by gaining consent through culture and ideology rather than force

RSAs

Institutions that enforce control through force eg. police and military

ISAs

Institutions that shape beliefs eg. schools, media and religion

Interpellation

The process by which individuals are hailed into social roles eg. recognizing yourself in media messages

Power through force vs. power through ideas

force- direct controlled- law, punishment

ideas- indirect control through beliefs, norms and media influence

Hypodermic needle/ magic bullet model

The idea that media messages are directly injected into passive audiences with strong effects

uses and gratification model

people actively choose media to satisfy needs and entertainment, information and identity

active audience

audiences interpret media in different ways based in their experiences and context

encoding/decoding

media producers encode messages but audiences decode them in different ways: dominant reading, negotiated reading, oppositional reading

dramaturgy and the performed self - front and back stage

people act like performers in everyday life- front stage- public behaviour, back stage- private authentic behaviour

frame analysis

how people organize and interpret experiences using metal frames

equipment for living

media provide tools or strategies for dealing with life situations

performativity

identity is created through repeated actions and behaviours not something innate

interactive media vs video games

interactive media- broad category- websites, apps and games

video games- a specific form of interactive media focused on gameplay

ergodic media

media that requires active effort to navigate eg. video games, interactive texts

sex vs gender

sex- biological traits

gender- social and cultural roles/identities

intersectionality

how overlapping identities shape experiences of oppression or privilege

herternomativity

the assumption that heterosexuality is the default or norm

feminism

a movement and theory advocating for gender equality and challenging patriarchy

race as a social construction

race is not biologically real but socially created and maintained through culture and institutions

algorithmic bias

when algorithms reflects and reinforce existing social biases eg. racism in ai systems

stereotyping

oversimplified and gereralized beliefs about a group of people

the imaginary Indian/noble savage

a romanticized and inaccurate stereotype if indigenous peoples as pure, natural and primitive

attention economy

a system where human attention is treated as a scarce and valuable resource

surveillance capitalism

an economic system where companies collect and monetize user data for profit

the free digital media business model

platforms are free to use because users pay with their data and attention

engagement based ranking

content is prioritized based in lies, clicks and shares- often amplifying extreme or emotional content

post truth era

a time where emotional appeal and personal belief outweigh objective facts

castells and the culture of autonomy

people use digital networks to organize independently of traditional institutions

decentralized movements

movements without a single leader, organized through networks eg. social media

space of autonomy

online and physical spaces where people can organize institutional control

vitality and mobilization

content spreads rabidly online, helping movements gain attention and mobilize people quickly