CA250 Final Review Exam Questions With
Complete Answers
Technological determinism - ANSWER The idea that technology is the primary driver in
society
Marshall McLuhan - ANSWER A public intellectual from Canada who rose to prominence
in the 1950s; His work has been connected to ideas of technological determinism,
particularly with his famous notion that "The medium is the message."
Media as mediation - ANSWER
"The medium is the message" - ANSWER Content of any media is just another medium,
developed by McLuhan
"Extensions of Man" - ANSWER Media extends our senses
Media's inseparability from society - ANSWER media is interlaced with society
Codex Book - ANSWER Ancient book that is the format for books in the modern world
Effects of Literacy - ANSWER Writing distances the speaker from the listener, The
development of "virtual" communication, where the speaker didn't need to be present;
Writing allows for built-upon knowledge; Training and education become more
important and "knowledge classes" become more prominent
Effects of Print - ANSWER Mass communication is born, Democratization of knowledge,
Development of journalism & advertising, Rise of public education, Science flourishes,
Knowledge becomes more of a commodity, Prices increase for producers and
decreases for consumers
Effects of Photography - ANSWER Challenged authority of written and spoken word,
used as identifying documents, provided a different way of recording history, Religion
and print, Martin Luther
Monopolies of Knowledge - ANSWER Idea that cultures with technological
advancements hold a monopoly on the amount of knowledge spreading around the
world
Time-Space compression - ANSWER Space is compressed because one is able to
communicate with someone thousands of miles away from you, Time is compressed
because you can access people, info, and ideas right away, whether it is present or past
info
Media as Travel - ANSWER can be in one place, but you can communicate with someone
,in a different place
Mobile Privatization - ANSWER An individual's attachment to a mobile device which lead
to a feeling of being at home while connected to the device in a mobile setting
Mediated presence/ absence - ANSWER presence- be all alone but feel connected
absence- be with people but not be connected
Reconsidering technology's role in society - ANSWER technology is too distracting from
the real world
Technological utopias and dystopias - ANSWER dystopia- technology causes fear and
hate because biases against the media (harms youth, "real communication", utopia-
technology is always used to improve communication
Projection - ANSWER divert a feeling from one source to another
Generational chauvinism - ANSWER we are the greatest generation
- bias against shift in media landscape after our generation
Elitism and paternalism - ANSWER elitism-the attitude or behavior of a person or group
who regard themselves as belonging to an elite
paternalism - ANSWER - people in positions of authority restricting the freedom and
responsibilities of those subordinate to them in "best interest"
Echo chamber - ANSWER Information is shared in a closed space and only repeats,
never encountering outside information
Media in service of power - ANSWER media can be used to gain power
Technological affordances - ANSWER coined by Ian Hutchby as a reaction against
social constructivism. He used it to describe the material constraints of a technology
and their specific applications
Digital divide - ANSWER Inequality among internet access
One Laptop One Child - ANSWER non profit that has the goal of providing children in
third world countries access to technology, controversial because what will these
children do when they don't even have the means to eat, let alone use technology
Soft determinism - ANSWER that society and technology both play a key role in change
in society
, The global village - ANSWER our world is shrinking because of all of the technology (this
is an idea that is false)
Imagined cosmopolitanism - ANSWER not engaging with others around the world
Ethnocentrism - ANSWER evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions
originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture
Variations across time and space - ANSWER technology's interpretation varies across
where it is being seen and interpreted
Radio: then and now - ANSWER then: was the only way of receiving information
now: not as heavily relied upon
TV: then and now - ANSWER then: focused on news and sitcoms focused almost
exclusively on white family life
now: more diversified
International differences in media - ANSWER Manga: US vs Japan
Media use and users - ANSWER consumers of media
New Media - ANSWER to study the contemporary moment, paying attention to the socio
technical conditions of networked communication
Lev Manovich 5 Principles of New Media - ANSWER Numerical representation,
Modularity, Automation, Variability, Transcoding
Complete Answers
Technological determinism - ANSWER The idea that technology is the primary driver in
society
Marshall McLuhan - ANSWER A public intellectual from Canada who rose to prominence
in the 1950s; His work has been connected to ideas of technological determinism,
particularly with his famous notion that "The medium is the message."
Media as mediation - ANSWER
"The medium is the message" - ANSWER Content of any media is just another medium,
developed by McLuhan
"Extensions of Man" - ANSWER Media extends our senses
Media's inseparability from society - ANSWER media is interlaced with society
Codex Book - ANSWER Ancient book that is the format for books in the modern world
Effects of Literacy - ANSWER Writing distances the speaker from the listener, The
development of "virtual" communication, where the speaker didn't need to be present;
Writing allows for built-upon knowledge; Training and education become more
important and "knowledge classes" become more prominent
Effects of Print - ANSWER Mass communication is born, Democratization of knowledge,
Development of journalism & advertising, Rise of public education, Science flourishes,
Knowledge becomes more of a commodity, Prices increase for producers and
decreases for consumers
Effects of Photography - ANSWER Challenged authority of written and spoken word,
used as identifying documents, provided a different way of recording history, Religion
and print, Martin Luther
Monopolies of Knowledge - ANSWER Idea that cultures with technological
advancements hold a monopoly on the amount of knowledge spreading around the
world
Time-Space compression - ANSWER Space is compressed because one is able to
communicate with someone thousands of miles away from you, Time is compressed
because you can access people, info, and ideas right away, whether it is present or past
info
Media as Travel - ANSWER can be in one place, but you can communicate with someone
,in a different place
Mobile Privatization - ANSWER An individual's attachment to a mobile device which lead
to a feeling of being at home while connected to the device in a mobile setting
Mediated presence/ absence - ANSWER presence- be all alone but feel connected
absence- be with people but not be connected
Reconsidering technology's role in society - ANSWER technology is too distracting from
the real world
Technological utopias and dystopias - ANSWER dystopia- technology causes fear and
hate because biases against the media (harms youth, "real communication", utopia-
technology is always used to improve communication
Projection - ANSWER divert a feeling from one source to another
Generational chauvinism - ANSWER we are the greatest generation
- bias against shift in media landscape after our generation
Elitism and paternalism - ANSWER elitism-the attitude or behavior of a person or group
who regard themselves as belonging to an elite
paternalism - ANSWER - people in positions of authority restricting the freedom and
responsibilities of those subordinate to them in "best interest"
Echo chamber - ANSWER Information is shared in a closed space and only repeats,
never encountering outside information
Media in service of power - ANSWER media can be used to gain power
Technological affordances - ANSWER coined by Ian Hutchby as a reaction against
social constructivism. He used it to describe the material constraints of a technology
and their specific applications
Digital divide - ANSWER Inequality among internet access
One Laptop One Child - ANSWER non profit that has the goal of providing children in
third world countries access to technology, controversial because what will these
children do when they don't even have the means to eat, let alone use technology
Soft determinism - ANSWER that society and technology both play a key role in change
in society
, The global village - ANSWER our world is shrinking because of all of the technology (this
is an idea that is false)
Imagined cosmopolitanism - ANSWER not engaging with others around the world
Ethnocentrism - ANSWER evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions
originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture
Variations across time and space - ANSWER technology's interpretation varies across
where it is being seen and interpreted
Radio: then and now - ANSWER then: was the only way of receiving information
now: not as heavily relied upon
TV: then and now - ANSWER then: focused on news and sitcoms focused almost
exclusively on white family life
now: more diversified
International differences in media - ANSWER Manga: US vs Japan
Media use and users - ANSWER consumers of media
New Media - ANSWER to study the contemporary moment, paying attention to the socio
technical conditions of networked communication
Lev Manovich 5 Principles of New Media - ANSWER Numerical representation,
Modularity, Automation, Variability, Transcoding
