Popular Culture Exam Review

A collection of flashcards based on lecture notes about popular culture, addressing key theories, definitions, and examples.

How does media culture shape our identities?

Media culture shapes our identities related to gender, class, race, nationality, and sexuality.

What is cultural studies' role in media culture?

Cultural studies examine representation, ideology, and audience reception in media and how media contributes to identity formation and resistance.

What are the three parts of the cultural studies framework?

1. Production and Political Economy 2. Textual Analysis 3. Audience Reception.

What does the concept of ideology imply in relation to media?

Ideology naturalizes inequalities such as classism, sexism, and racism while media reflects and reproduces dominant ideologies.

What is the aim of insurgent multiculturalism?

Insurgent multiculturalism seeks the inclusion of marginalized voices and promotes critical media literacy.

What are some characteristics of media commodities?

Media commodities are intangible, non-rivalrous, non-excludable, and can have cultural use-values.

What is horizontal integration in media companies?

Horizontal integration occurs when a company owns multiple outlets in the same sector, such as multiple TV stations.

Define the term 'blockbuster' in the context of film.

Blockbuster refers to a film with high production costs and high box office returns, gaining prominence after WWII.

What is the significance of advertising according to Raymond Williams?

Advertising attaches symbolic value to products, promising transformation and detaching commodities from the labor involved in their production.

What does 'flow' refer to in television?

Flow consists of a continuous, planned sequence of TV content, emphasizing the habitual viewing experience rather than discrete programs.

How have social media platforms affected the creation of popular culture?

Social media democratizes content creation, amplifies the role of influencers, and accelerates trends through algorithms.

What is the contradiction revealed by advertising according to John Fiske?

Advertising reveals how society relies on magical language to sell commodities while consumers are manipulated into believing in consumer choice.

In what ways does capitalism influence cultural trends?

Capitalism prioritizes profit-driven motives, leading to the commercialization and commodification of cultural products.

What role does audience reception play in the cultural studies framework?

Audience reception studies focus on how different audiences interpret and use media texts, revealing diverse readings and forms of empowerment.

What does the term 'cultural imperialism' suggest in relation to global media?

Cultural imperialism reflects the dominance of U.S. media in global markets shaped by profit-driven logic and asymmetrical interdependence.

What is the importance of intersectionality in understanding popular culture?

Intersectionality helps in analyzing how social categories like race, gender, and class intersect in the consumption and production of cultural products.