Com 100-Ch. 13-Mass Communication

Front 1

mass communication

Back 1

all media that address mass audiences

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tribal epoch

Back 2

first era in a media history of civilization...the oral tradition reigned, and face-to-face talking and listening were primary forms of communication

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literate epoch

Back 3

second era of media history of civilization...invention of the phonetic alphabet inaugarated this era in which common symbols allowed people to communicate with writing

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print epoch

Back 4

third era in media history of civilization...invention of the printing press made it possible to mass produce written materials so that reading was no longer limited to elite members of society

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electronic epoch

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fourth era in media history of civilization...was ushered in by the invention of the telegraph, which made it possible for people to communicate personally across distances

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uses and gratification theory

Back 6

theory that claims people use media to gratify their needs, interests, and desires

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agenda setting

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media's selection of issues, events, and people to highlight for attention

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gatekeeper

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person, group, or institution that controls what topics are presented by media and how those topics are presented to viewers, listeners, or readers

Front 9

cultivation thoery

Back 9

claims that the media promote a worldview that is inaccurate but that viewers assume reflects real life

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cultivation

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cumulative process by which the media foster beliefs about social reality, including the belief that the world is more dangerous and violent than it actually is

Front 11

mainstreaming

Back 11

the effect of television in stabilizing and homogenizing views within a society...it is 1 of 2 processes used to explain television's cultivation of synthetic worldviews

Front 12

resonance

Back 12

the extent to which something (specifically phenomena on tv) is congruent with personal experience...is 1 of 2 mechanisms used to explain televisions ability to cultivate synthetic worldviews

Front 13

mean world syndrome

Back 13

belief that the world is dangerous and full of mean people

Front 14

puffery

Back 14

exagerated, superlative claims about a product that appear to be factually based but are actually meaningless and unverifiable