Summary Media Now: Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology - chapters 1-12 PDF

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Chapter 1: The Changing Media The Media in Our Lives 

Information society: exchange of info is the predominant economic activity

Media in a Changing World    

Mass communication: one-to-many with limited audience feedback Digital: computer-readable information formatted in 1s and 0s Smartphone: mobile phone that can access the internet Media convergence: information technologies, industries and regulation are converging to impact our culture

Merging Technologies 

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Analog: communication uses continuously varying signals corresponding to light or sounds originated by the source, not commonly used (includes talking w/someone, handwritten notes) Apps: software applications for use on smartphones Channel (of communication): electronic or mechanical system that links the source to the receiver

Changing Industries  

Convergence: integrate mass media, computers and telecommunications Great Recession of 2007-2009 weakened old and digital media, news companies increased online publishing, old media is finding ways to incorporate social media which makes careers challenging for some

Changing Lifestyles  

Lifestyle for college students: consume media when and where they want People now shop, get health info, get news, access government info, keep up with friends online; decrease close human interaction

Shifting Regulations 

Telecommunications Act of 1996: federal legislation deregulated communications media, ended regulations that protected companies from competing with each other in hopes of creating healthy competition but ended in buyouts and bankruptcies

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Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998: broadened copyright (legal right to control intellectual property, legal privilege to use, sell or license creative works) protection Digital Millennium Copyright Act: weakened rights of students/professors to reproduce copyrighted printed works for educational use Net Neutrality: users aren’t discriminated against based on the amount of nature of the data they transfer on the internet (Internet providers remain neutral and don’t favor content provided by affiliates/business partners or charge excessive fees to competitors)

Rising Social Issues 

Digital divide: gap in Internet usage of rich and poor, Anglos and minorities

Changing Media Throughout History Industrial Society  

German Gutenburg Bible: printed in 1455 using a movable metal type Industrial production was centered in large cities (big migration to cities)

Information Society  

Information workers: create, process, transform or store information o Dominant tool for information workers is the computer Video games: interactive (communication uses feedback to modify a message as it is presented) movies

Changing Conceptions of the Media The SMCR Model 

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Source-Message-Channel-Receiver model: model of mass communication describes the exchange of information as the message passes from the source to the channel to the receiver, with feedback to the source o Source: originator of communication o Message: content of communication (information) o Encoder: translates message o Channel: medium used to convey message o Decoder: reverses encoding o Receiver: destination of communication o Feedback mechanism: between sources and receiver, regulates flow o Noise: distortion or errors Gatekeepers: media commentators and professional producers decide what audiences should receive

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Social media: media whose content is created and distributed through social interaction, challenges SMCR model because it’s instant access to information

Types of Communication 

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Communication: exchange of meaning o Intrapersonal communication: exchange info we have with ourselves o Interpersonal communication: exchange that 2 people engage in  Electronically mediated: communication transmitted through electronic channel o Group communication: 3+ people communicate o Small-group communication: less than 12 people w/interpersonal communication where group dynamics is important (i.e. study group) o Large-group communication: 12+ people with active involvement of only a few parties Web 2.0: Internet applications in which users provide content as well as consume it

What Are the Media Now?    

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New media: digital, interactive, social, asynchronous, multimedia, narrow casted Asynchronous: media not consumed by all members of the audience at the same time SMCR model emphasized one-way transmission of messages Interactive: feedback from receiver is used by source, audience is active o Affordances: technical features of communication channels that allow their users to perform useful functions o Turning test: computer has to trick you into thinking you’re interacting with a human Social Media: number of people required to turn out content is smaller o Blogs: Web log, commentary addressed to Web audience o People don’t work for “big media” organizations as much Narrowcasting: targeting smaller audiences instead of broadcasting o Narrowcasting: target media to specific segments of the audience o Demographics are now available and can target Multimedia: same story expressed in multiple ways (article, video, polls)

Chapter 2: Media and Society Understanding the Media 

Theories: general principles that explain and predict behavior, reflect our assumptions about patterns of behavior of individuals, media institutions, and society

Media Economics 

Economics: studies the forces that allocate resources to satisfy competing needs, media institutions reflect economics forces

Mass Production, Mass Distribution 

Economies of scale: result when unit costs go down as production quantities increase, combine management so single staff serves 2 instead of 1 o Big media companies buy products and services in bulk and get volume discounts whereas small companies pay full price

The Benefits of Competition 

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Law of supply and demand: relationship among supply of products, prices and consumer demands o More people consume product, more economies of scale, more improvements in production and products o As the price decreases, more people buy and manufacturers earn profits to invest in newer/faster production techniques to lower cost Marginal cost: incremental costs of each additional copy or unit of a product o More units produced = less each unit costs, more incentive to innovate production

Media Monopolies   

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Monopoly: domination of market by a single company, can set its prices Oligopoly: domination of a market by a few firms Duopoly: two companies dominate a market o Advantage: greatest economies of scale result when only a single provider, initial costs spread among greatest number of consumers o Disadvantage: big companies take advantage, won’t attempt to develop new equipment, slash prices below costs to ruin smaller competitors Barriers to entry: obstacles companies must overcome to enter a market o Small businesses can’t afford it, big businesses inspire more confidence in investors to get money and loans

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If companies dominate a market, they can raise prices especially if the good is a necessity o Some oligopolies fix prices among themselves o Monopolies reduce diversity of content, push Federal Communication Commission to relax prohibitions on cross-ownership

The Profit Motive 

Profits: what’s left after operating costs, taxes, and paybacks to investors o Also have to pay back continuing costs and entry costs (loans) o Rate of profit must match or exceed what investors could make if they invested in other businesses or left their money in the bank or they’ll leave the company’s stock for better investments

How Media Make Money          

4 main ways of paying for media: advertising, direct sales, subscriptions, public subsidies Direct sales: consumers pay lump sum to purchase product (iPad) Rentals: direct payment for product except consumer borrows product (video games) Subscriptions: payment for continuing service instead of single product (newspapers, magazines) Usage fees: admission fees into movies or theaters, includes pay-per-view Advertising: main economic base for newspapers, magazines and commercial TV/radio stations, buy commercial time or ad space Syndication: rental of content to media outlets (not consumer), reruns of old TV shows, newspaper cartoons License fees: compensate creator of media to use ideas o Copyright royalty fee: payment for use of creative work Subsidies: provided for communications media that society considers desirable but that commercial interest don’t find profitable, PBS Voluntary donations: made by corporations, private foundations and individuals to media that provide public service, some creators allow downloads of their software and you can pay if you want

From Mass Markets to Market Segments 

Recent changes encourage narrowcasting to target small and specific audience segments with specialized content o These changes mark the transition from mass media of industrial society to the targeted media of the information society

New Media Economics

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Personalization: advertisers can target ads very precisely to specific people, TV can’t do this With the Internet, reproduction and distribution costs are reduced, makes more sense to charge for convenience of information instead of exclusive access, online sites can offer wider selection of goods that normal stores can’t afford to stock

Critical Studies  

Media literacy: learning to think critically about the role of media in society Critical studies: examines overall impact of media

Political Economy 

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Political economy: analyzes patterns of class domination and economic power o Draws from Karl Marx: society is based on relations between those who own the means of production and those who work for them o Hegemony: use of media to create a consensus around certain ideas so they come to be accepted as common sense, usually self-serving  Media reflects the interests of media owners and advertisers and the people in power Unequal access is important in the Information Age, certain people have access to more information and can be more involved o Some argue the media convince the poor and middle class to accept the hegemony that keeps the ruling class on top Culture: group’s pattern of thought and activity, commercial media affects this, make people feel dependent on consumer products

Feminist Studies  

Mainly concerned with the oppression of women by male-dominated society, idea that media serves the purposes of the patriarchy Women are limited to stereotypical roles, don’t appear enough in media or have higher up roles, bombarded with advertising messages that increase their consumerism, unrealistic ideals of female beauty

Ethnic Media Studies  

Media shows minorities disproportionately in stereotypical roles such as maids and criminals Herman Gray: says racial depictions are designed to keep whiteness associated with dominance and power

Media Criticism

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Looks at media as literature and applies traditions of literary criticism Genres: distinctive styles of creative works, different types or formats of media content, interaction between producers and audiences, transfer from one medium to another (from book to film)

Diffusion of Innovations 

Diffusion: process by which an innovation is communicated through media and interpersonal channels over time among community members o VCR spread in households o Traditional forms of media consumption are constantly replaced by new technologies, DVD replaced VCR

Why Do Innovations Succeed?  

We use information from media and others forms our expectation of how a product will perform for us Amount of experience people had with similar technologies affects it too

How Do Innovations Spread?    

First, you gain knowledge about new technology from media and others Next, we weight the merits (cost, how much we need it) Finally, we decide to try it and make the purchase, continually reassessing the experience and decide if we should repurchase People adopt new ideas at different rates: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards

What Are the Media’s Functions?   

Technological determinism: explains that the media cause changes in society and culture Functionalism: society can’t function without media, media exists to serve the needs of our society and cultures Social needs that the media helps us achieve: o Surveillance: provide info to help people surveillance their environment o Interpretation: newspapers help interpret headlines, blogs comment on current events o Values Transmission/Socialization: media assumes roles of storytellers, teachers and parents o Entertainment: top programs in TV are usually entertainment oriented, listening to music, playing video games, social media

Media and Public Opinion Gatekeeping  

Gatekeeping theory: emphasizes crucial role of media managers and editors who open/close the gate on a story or shape how it’s presented Gatekeepers aren’t as critical due to online news, bloggers, tweets

Agenda Setting 

Agenda-setting theory: media coverage affects public opinion

Framing  

Framing theory: examines how writers frame or present a story, decide what to include and what to leave out There’s still invisible self-censorship, journalists wanting to keep their job edit their own work

Technological Determinism 

Technological determinism: technology drives social change, communications media change everything in society

The Medium is the Message 

Marshall McLuhan: print and electronic media were revolutionary, “the medium is the message”, it’s the form of media that matters o Proposed that new communication technologies determine culture o Global village: draws entire world together into an electronically mediated small town o Predicted we would regress as a culture, it could extend human capabilities but cut off others

Media Drive Culture  

Idea that media should educate (not entertain) and help culture people Popular culture: made up of elements mass produced in society for the mass population, thought is would people think and act alike if mass audiences consume the same media

Chapter 3: Books and Magazines History: The printing to Digital Evolution Early Print Media  

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Novels: extended fictional works usually of book length, flourished when mechanical reproduction allowed large quantities to be published Johannes Gutenberg (re)discovered movable type and printed the first German bible, before hand books had to be hand copied (only available to best-educated people) Reading and writing maintained by monks when barbarians destroyed sophisticated culture Literacy: ability to read and understand a variety of information, key to development of print media o Most written communication was in Latin so people would have had to learn a new language, became more literate by 1300s and 1400s o Middle ages: mostly only the Bible was available

The Gutenberg Revolution 

Gutenberg bible (1455), allowed for mass production of books, handbills and newsletters at a lower cost, turned into a cycle of more people having money and the interest to buy books causing more books to be produced

The First American Print Media   

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Family encouraged children to read the Bible and increased the literacy rate Almanacs: book-length collections of useful facts, calendars and advice Benjamin Franklin: published Poor Richard’s Almanac (most popular books in the colonies) o Started the first subscription library (lent books to public for a fee) Early magazines: developed in Great Britain (fiction and nonfiction) in America prior to the American Revolution magazines weren’t popular because limited by reads without leisure time to read, high publishing costs and expensive distribution, became more political during AR o Miscellanies: magazines with a whole variety of content  Woodcuts: used to make illustrations by carving a picture in block of wood, inking it and pressing onto paper American reads: improved social conditions (public education system, increase in wages) grew urban middle class o Dime novels: inexpensive paperback novels of 19th century, broader audience including working-class o Postal Act of 1879: magazines clarified as second-class mail, given lower rate for distribution

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o Genres: distinctive styles of creative works, different types or formats of media content o Sensationalism: police stories, romance, crime, scandals, sci fi, fantasy Muckraking: investigative reporting and crusades for reform in early 1900s o Muckraking: investigative journalism that “takes off the muck” to expose corruption and scandal, controversial and striking stories

Magazines Compete with Other Media 

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Magazines competed with radio and film for leisure time after the 20s, became a major mass medium, advertising shifted to TV outlets so some magazines went out of business Magazines Target Specialized Audiences: more narrow audiences, cover hobbies and occupations and interests News Magazines: genre born when Time was started by Luce and Hadden o News magazines: weekly periodicals with coverage (text and visual) on current events o Single-copy sales at newsstand dropped, digital circulation sales rose, frequent posts of news stories promote people to return

Book Publishing Giants   

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Harper Publishing was initial publishing house, American publishers (McGraw-Hill and Prentice Hall) increased printing as costs declined Book publisher: offer an array of services from editing to promoting to selling a book, definition is changing (could be building, could be online) Book: set of pages bound together between covers, definition has changed to be more inclusive o E-book: electronic book in digital text o Audiobooks: book heard on CD, radio or downloaded Amazon Kindle, Google Books have redefined bookstore and publishers Digital technology: can collect massive consumer data on what they like

Technology Trends: From Chapbook to the E-Book After Gutenberg 

Invention of rotary press (1864) uses rotating cylinders of type to print

Publishing in the Information Age  

Computer-to-plate technology: transfers page images inside computer directly to printing plates Desktop publishing: process of editing, laying out, and inserting photos to design and display a page using a desktop computer

E-Publishing 

4 evolutions to the computer age have impacted traditional book publishing: o E-commerce on the internet: easier access, automatic suggestions  E-commerce: ability to buy and sell online o Kindle’s impact toward acceptance of e-books: popularity of e-books increasing  Challenge: people don’t like reading text from computer screen, e-reader screens easier to read than computer screens o Printing books on demand and self-publishing:  Print-on-demand: prints books only when they are ordered by the customer, computer-based publishing  Backlisted books: older books not actively promoted but still in print o Google’s digitization of printed books: won lawsuit against people who don’t want parts of books scanned (worried people won’t buy)  Or...