So I have a test today for Media Studies in less than half an hour. I just spent the past hour in a mandatory conference call with my managers and coworkers at The Daily Cal.
I feel pretty prepared for the test, so I’m going to try something that I may or may not do again on my blog. I will be answering the study questions, although I’ll be broad and not get too specific.
I hope this will help me to gather my thoughts, and at the same time, I can share with you guys a little of what I’ve learned in Media Studies 10 the past three weeks.
Most of the terms and concepts are pretty easy to understand, but don’t worry if there are some that are more difficult to grasp. Just think of it as a sneak peek. I’ll be looking at the questions as a guideline. Here goes.
We can categorize media as interpersonal (one-on-one), mass media, and network media. We can also look at media in terms of its technology, industries, and people.
The hypodermic needle model states that media is transmitted in one direction, from the source to the audience. The transmission model of communication is a broader view that says information is passed along from the sender, though a medium, to the receiver.
The cultural/ritual view of communication is different from the transmission view in that the cultural view stresses the shared experience and feelings of a group of people in response to information. So instead of asking if the audience sees the commercial, the cultural view asks if the audience could identify with the events depicted in the commercial.
Convergence culture can be seen in two lights – that of converging technology and converging culture. Although people tend to focus on converging technology (think Apple iPhone and other all-in-one tech), our class focuses on converging culture.
The result of converging culture is that media can now cross different platforms (think TV to Internet, webisodes, interactive movie games), media companies have to work together and with the consumer to adapt, and the audience can actively participate in different forms of media.
Collective intelligence is the sum of what people know. Think of online forums. Not everyone knows everything, but each person can contribute something that they know to the others, and this is what makes up a knowledge community. Collective intelligence becomes collective knowledge once people agree to share and trust in the contributions of others in the community.
Media conglomeration affects the quality and diversity of the media we consume because in an effort to make profits, these huge companies are playing it safe by using formulas that have worked in the past. Thus, we see mediocre and repetitive programming that will appeal to the widest range of people, because these are the shows that will make the conglomerates the most money.
Alright, that’s it for now. I didn’t get to answer all the questions in the study guide, but I think I have a good idea of how to answer the rest. Looking forward to finishing the test and chilling for the weekend.
Study media with Glen at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
