Comm 130 Final Flash Cards

Front 1

Internet

Back 1

the vast network of telephone and cable lines, wireless connections, and satellite systems designed to link and carry computer information worldwide.

Front 2

ARPAnet

Back 2

the original Internet, designed by the U.S. Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).

Front 3

E-mail

Back 3

electronic mail messages sent over the Internet; developed by computer engineer Ray Tomlinson in 1971.

Front 4

Microprocessors

Back 4

miniature circuits that process and store electronic signals, integrating thousands of electronic components into thin strands of silicon along which binary codes travel.

Front 5

Fiber-Optic Cable

Back 5

thin glass bundles of fiber capable of transmitting thousands of messages converted to shooting pulses of light along cable wires; these bundles of fiber can carry broadcast channels, telephone signals, and all sorts of digital codes.

Front 6

World Wide Web (WWW)

Back 6

a data-linking system for organizing and standardizing information on the Internet; the WWW enables computer-accessed information to associate with—or link to—other information, no matter where it is on the Internet.

Front 7

HTML (hypertext markup language)

Back 7

the written code that creates Web pages and links; a language all computers can read.

Front 8

Browsers

Back 8

information-search services, such as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome, that offer detailed organizational maps to the Internet.

Front 9

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Back 9

a company that provides Internet access to homes and businesses for a fee.

Front 10

Directories

Back 10

review and cataloguing services that group Web sites under particular categories (e.g., Arts & Humanities, News & Media, Entertainment).

Front 11

Search Engines

Back 11

computer programs that allow users to enter key words or queries to find related sites on the Internet.

Front 12

Digital Communication

Back 12

images, texts, and sounds that use pulses of electric current or flashes of laser light and are converted (or encoded) into electronic signals represented as varied combinations of binary numbers, usually ones and zeros; these signals are then reassembled (decoded) as a precise reproduction of a TV picture, a magazine article, or a telephone voice.

Front 13

Social Media Sites

Back 13

Web sites that allow users to create personal profiles, upload photos, create lists of favorite things, and post messages to connect with old friends and to meet new ones.

Front 14

Instant Messaging

Back 14

a Web feature that enables users to chat with buddies in real time via pop-up windows assigned to each conversation.

Front 15

Blogs

Back 15

sites that contain articles in reverse chronological journal-like form, often with reader comments and links to other articles on the Web (from the term Web log).

Front 16

Wiki Web Sites

Back 16

Web sites that are capable of being edited by any user; the most famous is Wikipedia.

Front 17

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMOR-PGs)

Back 17

role-playing games set in virtual fantasy worlds that require users to play through an avatar.

Front 18

Avatar

Back 18

an identity created by an Internet user in order to participate in a form of online entertainment, such as World of Warcraft orSecond Life.

Front 19

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Back 19

the sweeping update of telecommunications law that led to a wave of media consolidation.

Front 20

Portal

Back 20

an entry point to the Internet, such as a search engine.

Front 21

Data Mining

Back 21

the unethical gathering of data by online purveyors of content and merchandise.

Front 22

E-Commerce

Back 22

electronic commerce, or commercial activity, on the Web.

Front 23

Cookies

Back 23

information profiles about a user that are usually automatically accepted by a Web browser and stored on the user’s own computer hard drive.

Front 24

Spyware

Back 24

software with secretive codes that enable commercial firms to “spy” on users and gain access to their computers.

Front 25

Opt-In or Opt-Out Policies

Back 25

controversial Web site policies over personal data gathering: opt–in means Web sites must gain explicit permission from online consumers before the site can collect their personal data; opt–out means that Web sites can automatically collect personal data unless the consumer goes to the trouble of filling out a specific form to restrict the practice.

Front 26

Phishing

Back 26

an Internet scam that begins with phony e-mail messages that appear to be from an official site and request that customers send their credit card numbers and other personal information to update the account.

Front 27

Digital Divide

Back 27

the socioeconomic disparity between those who do and those who do not have access to digital technology and media, such as the Internet.

Front 28

Open-Source Software

Back 28

noncommercial software shared freely and developed collectively on the Internet. 

Front 29

Media Effects Research

Back 29

the mainstream tradition in mass communication research, it attempts to understand, explain, and predict the impact—or effects—of the mass media on individuals and society.

Front 30

Cultural Studies

Back 30

in media research, the approaches that try to understand how the media and culture are tied to the actual patterns of communication used in daily life; these studies focus on how people make meanings, apprehend reality, and order experience through the use of stories and symbols.

Front 31

Propaganda Analysis

Back 31

 the study of propaganda’s effectiveness in influencing and mobilizing public opinion.

Front 32

Pseudo-Polls

Back 32

 typically call-in, online, or person-in-the-street nonscientific polls that the news media use to address a “question of the day.”

Front 33

Hypodermic-Needle Model

Back 33

  an early model in mass communication research that attempted to explain media effects by arguing that the media figuratively shoot their powerful effects into unsuspecting or weak audiences; sometimes called the bullet theory or direct effects model.

Front 34

Minimal-Effects Model

Back 34

 a mass communication research model based on tightly controlled experiments and survey findings; it argues that the mass media have limited effects on audiences, reinforcing existing behaviors and attitudes rather than changing them.

Front 35

Selective Exposure

Back 35

 the phenomenon whereby audiences seek messages and meanings that correspond to their preexisting beliefs and values.

Front 36

Selective Retention

Back 36

 the phenomenon whereby audiences remember or retain messages and meanings that correspond to their preexisting beliefs and values.

Front 37

Uses and Gratification Model

Back 37

a mass communication research model, usually employing in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires, that argues that people use the media to satisfy various emotional desires or intellectual needs.

Front 38

Scientific Method

Back 38

a widely used research method that studies phenomena in systematic stages; it includes identifying a research problem, reviewing existing research, developing working hypotheses, determining appropriate research design, collecting information, analyzing results to see if the hypotheses have been verified, and interpreting the implications of the study.

Front 39

Hypothesis

Back 39

 in social science research, tentative general statements that predict a relationship between a dependent variable and an independent variable.

Front 40

Experiments

Back 40

 in regard to the mass media, research that isolates some aspect of content, suggests a hypothesis, and manipulates variables to discover a particular medium’s impact on attitudes, emotions, or behavior

Front 41

Random Assignment

Back 41

 a social science research method for assigning research subjects; it ensures that every subject has an equal chance of being placed in either the experimental group or the control group

Front 42

Survey Research

Back 42

 in social science research, a method of collecting and measuring data taken from a group of respondents.

Front 43

Longitudinal Studies

Back 43

 a term used for research studies that are conducted over long periods of time and often rely on large government and academic survey databases

Front 44

Correlations

Back 44

 observed associations between two variables.

Front 45

Content Analysis

Back 45

 in social science research, a method for studying and coding media texts and programs.

Front 46

Social Learning Theory

Back 46

 a theory within media effects research that suggests a link between the mass media and behavior.

Front 47

Agenda-Setting

Back 47

a media-research argument that says that when the mass media pay attention to particular events or issues, they determine—that is, set the agenda for—the major topics of discussion for individuals and society.

Front 48

Cultivation Effect

Back 48

 in media research, the idea that heavy television viewing leads individuals to perceive reality in ways that are consistent with the portrayals they see on television

Front 49

Spiral of Silence

Back 49

 a theory that links the mass media, social psychology, and the formation of public opinion; the theory says that people who hold minority views on controversial issues tend to keep their views silent

Front 50

Textual Analysis

Back 50

 in media research, a method for closely and critically examining and interpreting the meanings of culture, including architecture, fashion, books, movies, and TV programs

Front 51

Audience Studies

Back 51

 cultural studies research that focuses on how people use and interpret cultural content. Also known as reader-response research

Front 52

Political Economy Studies

Back 52

 an area of academic study that specifically examines interconnections among economic interests, political power, and how that power is used

Front 53

Public Sphere

Back 53

 those areas or arenas in social life—like the town square or coffee house—where people come together regularly to discuss social and cultural problems and try to influence politics; the public sphere is distinguished from governmental spheres where elected officials and other representatives conduct affairs of state.

Front 54

Product Placement

Back 54

the advertising practice of strategically placing products in movies, TV shows, comic books, and video games so the products appear as part of a story’s set environment.

Front 55

Space Brokers

Back 55

in the days before modern advertising, individuals who purchased space in newspapers and sold it to various merchants.

Front 56

Subliminal Advertising

Back 56

 a 1950s term that refers to hidden or disguised print and visual messages that allegedly register on the subconscious, creating false needs and seducing people into buying products.

Front 57

Magazine

Back 57

a nondaily periodical that comprises a collection of articles, stories, and ads.

Front 58

Slogan

Back 58

in advertising, a catchy phrase that attempts to promote or sell a product by capturing its essence in words.

Front 59

Mega-Agencies

Back 59

in advertising, large firms or holding companies that are formed by merging several individual agencies and that maintain worldwide regional offices; they provide both advertising and public relations services and operate in-house radio and TV production studios.

Front 60

Muckrakers

Back 60

 reporters who used a style of early-twentieth-century investigative journalism that emphasized a willingness to crawl around in society’s muck to uncover a story.

Front 61

Boutique Agencies

Back 61

in advertising, small regional ad agencies that offer personalized services.

Front 62

Market Research

Back 62

in advertising and public relations agencies, the department that uses social science techniques to assess the behaviors and attitudes of consumers toward particular products before any ads are created.

Front 63

General-Interest Magazines

Back 63

 types of magazines that address a wide variety of topics and are aimed at a broad national audience.

Front 64

Demographics

Back 64

in market research, the study of audiences or consumers by age, gender, occupation, ethnicity, education, and income.

Front 65

Psychographics

Back 65

in market research, the study of audience or consumer attitudes, beliefs, interests, and motivations.

Front 66

Photojournalism

Back 66

the use of photos to document events and people’s lives.

Front 67

Focus Groups

Back 67

a common research method in psychographic analysis in which moderators lead small-group discussions about a product or an issue, usually with six to twelve people.

Front 68

Values and Lifestyles (VALS)

Back 68

a market-research strategy that divides consumers into types and measures psychological factors, including how consumers think and feel about products and how they achieve (or do not achieve) the lifestyles to which they aspire.

Front 69

Pass-Along Readership

Back 69

 the total number of people who come into contact with a single copy of a magazine.

Front 70

Storyboard

Back 70

in advertising, a blueprint or roughly drawn comic-strip version of a proposed advertisement.

Front 71

Viral Marketing

Back 71

short videos or other content that marketers hope will quickly gain widespread attention as users share it with friends online, or by word of mouth.

Front 72

Webzine

Back 72

a magazine that publishes on the Internet.

Front 73

Media Buyers

Back 73

in advertising, the individuals who choose and purchase the types of media that are best suited to carry a client’s ads and reach the targeted audience.

Front 74

Saturation Advertising

Back 74

the strategy of inundating a variety of print and visual media with ads aimed at target audiences.

Front 75

Desktop publishing

Back 75

 a computer technology that enables an aspiring publisher/editor to inexpensively write, design, lay out, and even print a small newsletter or magazine.

Front 76

Account Executives

Back 76

in advertising, client liaisons responsible for bringing in new business and managing the accounts of established clients.

Front 77

Account Reviews

Back 77

in advertising, the process of evaluating or reinvigorating an ad campaign, which results in either renewing the contract with the original ad agency or hiring a new agency.

Front 78

Regional Editions

Back 78

national magazines whose content is tailored to the interests of different geographic areas.

Front 79

Interstitials

Back 79

advertisements that pop up in a screen window as a user attempts to access a new Web page.

Front 80

Spam

Back 80

a computer term referring to unsolicited e-mail.

Front 81

Split-Run Editions

Back 81

editions of national magazines that tailor ads to different geographic areas.

Front 82

Famous-Person Testimonial

Back 82

an advertising strategy that associates a product with the endorsement of a well-known person.

Front 83

Plain-Folks Pitch

Back 83

an advertising strategy that associates a product with simplicity and the common person.

Front 84

Demographic Editions

Back 84

national magazines whose advertising is tailored to subscribers and readers according to occupation, class, and zip-

Front 85

Snob-Appeal Approach

Back 85

an advertising strategy that attempts to convince consumers that using a product will enable them to maintain or elevate their social station.

Front 86

Bandwagon Effect

Back 86

an advertising strategy that incorporates exaggerated claims that everyone is using a particular product, so you should, too.

Front 87

Hidden-Fear Appeal

Back 87

an advertising strategy that plays on a sense of insecurity, trying to persuade consumers that only a specific product can offer relief.

Front 88

Evergreen Subscriptions

Back 88

 magazine subscriptions that automatically renew on the subscriber’s credit card.

Front 89

Irritation Advertising

Back 89

an advertising strategy that tries to create product-name recognition by being annoying or obnoxious.

Front 90

Association Principle

Back 90

in advertising, a persuasive technique that associates a product with some cultural value or image that has a positive connotation but may have little connection to the actual product.

Front 91

Magalog

Back 91

a combination of a glossy magazine and retail catalogue that is often used to market goods or services to customers or employees.

Front 92

Myth Analysis

Back 92

 a strategy for critiquing advertising that provides insights into how ads work on a cultural level; according to this strategy, ads are narratives with stories to tell and social conflicts to resolve.

Front 93

Commercial Speech

Back 93

any print or broadcast expression for which a fee is charged to the organization or individual buying time or space in the mass media.

Front 94

Zines

Back 94

self-published magazines produced on personal computer programs or on the Internet.

Front 95

Political Advertising

Back 95

the use of ad techniques to promote a candidate’s image and persuade the public to adopt a particular viewpoint.