Flashcards on The New Media (4.1)

What does the term 'mass media' refer to?

Before the 1990s, what was included under the term 'mass media'?

From the 1990s onwards, 'new media' has begun to dominate mass communication. What types of media does this phrase refer to?

What is the most advanced form of new media?

New media has a number of important characteristics that distinguish it from old media. Give examples:

What is meant by 'digitalisation'?

What is meant by 'technological convergence'?

What is meant by 'economic convergence'?

What is meant by 'cultural convergence'?

What is meant by 'interactivity'?

What is meant by 'choice'?

What is meant by 'participatory culture'?

What is meant by 'collective intelligence'?

What is the name of the report, produced by Ofcom, that details a number of changes in media use between 2005 and 2015?

In 2005, 54% of adults in the UK accessed the internet. In 2015, what number had this risen to?

In 2005, the average number of hours UK adults spent online was 9.9. What had this risen to by 2015?

The preferred form of social contact for the majority in 2015 was texting, How many people stated that they text at least once a week?

How many internet users had a profile on a social networking site in 2015?

Use of what as a source of information has increased considerably since 2005?

Although overall use of new media has increased in recent years, certain individuals are more likely to access it than others. As such, a number of new media 'divides' have been identified. What are they?

Which sociologist argues that a generational divide has occurred, with youths being far more likely to use new media?

However, Ofcom's 2015 survey indicates the generational divide is doing what?

How does Boyle describe new media, and what impact is this having on youths?

Which sociologist argues that although the digital class divide has narrowed in recent years, it still exists?

Helpser argues that the poor are excluded from new media usage because they cannot afford to keep up with the middle-class use of new media technology. What is this group known as?

Ofcom surveys support Helpser's claims. What percentage of the AB socioeconomic group use a range of new media, and how does this compare with the DE socioeconomic group?

Which sociologists identified a significant digital gender divide?

How many hours do men spend online, on average, compared to women?

However, women were more likely than men to use social media sites. What was the breakdown for this like?

Instead of social media sites, what were men more likely to use the internet for?

However, in 2014, the Internet Advertising Bureau found that women account for 52% of those who play digital games. What is this statistic closely related to?

What did Cheryl Olsen et al find with regards to the types of video games males like to play?

Pam Royse et al studied female gamers who played between 3 and 10 hours a week. According to their findings, what are female gamers mostly motivated by?

Which organisation found that the digital global divide is worsening?

According to the World Bank, in 2012, what percentage of the world's population had access to a mobile phone?

Mobile phone use has spread particularly quickly through Africa. In 2014, how many Africans were estimated to use mobile phones?

However, this estimation creates a false impression of a digital revolution for a number of reasons. What are they?

Which two sociologists identified the leading perspectives in the debate about the new media?

What are the two leading perspectives?

Neophiliacs argue that new media is beneficial to society for three main reasons. What are they?

What do neophiliacs mean when they say that new media has increased consumer choice?

What do neophiliacs mean when they say that new media has created an E-commerce revolution?

How has the E-commerce revolution arguably increased control?

What do neophiliacs mean when they say that new media has revitalised democracy?

Unlike mainstream media, the internet allows users to access a wide range of information and alternative perspectives. Why does this difference exist?

Many media sociologists argue that the internet provides a voice to which group?

Some neophiliacs have used the internet to challenge power elites. Which sociologist describes the internet as "perhaps the freest forum of speech in history"?

The internet has been employed in a number of political ways by activists. Give examples of how they use it:

How do cultural pessimists describe the neophiliacs description of the new media revolution?

There are five branches to the cultural pessimists' argument. What are they?

The first branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that so-called 'new media' isn't actually that new. Which sociologists argued this?

Cornford and Robins argue that new media is simply the 'refinement, extension and embellishment of traditional media'. What analogy do they use to compare new and old media?

Cornford and Robins argue that interactivity is not new either - people have written to newspapers and phoned in to radio stations for many years. As such, what is the only truly new aspect that new media possesses?

The second branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that new media is dominated by media conglomerates. Why do they use this to prove that neophilliacs exaggerate the impact the new media revolution has on democracy?

According to Jenkins, the cross-media ownership that began in the 1980s was the first phase of what?

The internet is particularly dominated by a small number of media corporations. Give examples:

How do these multinational media corporations play a key role in advertising?

These media corporations (sometimes referred to as media 'superpowers') have many advantages over individuals in setting up websites. Give examples:

The third branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that due to the domination of new media by conglomerates, the internet is extremely commercialised. What is meant by this?

However, Cornford and Robins argue that the increase in consumer choice also brings with it some negative consequences. Give an example:

Which sociological perspective is particularly concerned about the commercialisation of the internet?

The fourth branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that the new media is reinforcing elite power, rather than dismantling it (as neophiliacs claim). According to Cornford and Robins, how are media corporations able to control key links within the new media?

From a cultural pessimist perspective, media technologies are therefore increasing the power of the existing elites, rather than promoting alternative ideas, free speech and democracy. What further adds to this inequality?

Contrary to neophiliac claims, which sociologist argues that online political involvement most likely mirrors the level of the average person's political involvement in the real world?

Kevin Hill and John Hughes challenge the view that cyberspace is more likely to contain content that supports alternative minority political views. What did they find?

What does Seaton conclude regarding the minority's ability to voice their opinions and make an impact through new media use?

The final branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that the increased choice of media delivery systems has led to a decline in the quality of popular culture. Which sociologist is particularly vocal about this?

Harvey argues that while digital television has dramatically increased the number of channels to choose from, it has resulted in the dumbing-down of popular culture as companies fill their channels with mindless, repetitive, cheap material. What term does Harvey use to describe this new material?

Harvey suggests that both the BBC and ITV now provide 'candyfloss culture' material, rather than the real reporting and hard-hitting documentaries they were known for. What prompted this, and what is the result?

Many sociologists, politicians and cultural commentators argue that new media, particularly the internet, requires state regulation. Why?

Likewise, concerns have been raised about the problems that stem from new media. Give examples of such problems:

However, why is the control of online information largely outside of the government's control?

Which sociologist deems new media users "cyborgs", and why?

Turkle claims that people now live "full-time" on their smartphones. Although this allows users to make more connections, what does it also do, according to Turkle?

Sonia Livingstone reached a similar conclusion. What does she note about the relationship modern children have with the virtual world?

Which sociologist is extremely critical of new media, particularly the internet?

What word does Keen use to describe the internet?

Keen makes four criticisms of new media. Firstly, he argues that social networking sites and blogging do not contribute to the democratic process in any way. Why does he hold this opinion?

Secondly, Keen argues that user-generated sites, such as Wikipedia, are unreliable as a source of information. Why?

Thirdly, keen argues that new media output often goes unchecked. Why is this harmful?

Finally, Keen is critical of the new media because, to him, it contributes to 'cultural illiteracy'. What does this term refer to?

Both neophiliac and cultural pessimist arguments have their strengths, but what can both perspectives be accused of?