COM3705 ASSIGNMENT 3 PORTFOLIO COMPLETE
ANSWERS STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES || 100%
GUARANTEED PASS <UPDATED VERSION>
Section 1: Foundational Concepts in Media Studies & Theory
1. What is the primary focus of the Political Economy theory in
media studies?
Answer: It focuses on the power relationships in the production,
distribution, and consumption of media, emphasizing how ownership
and economic structures influence media content.
Rationale: This theory moves beyond analyzing content to critically
examine the economic and political structures behind it, highlighting
issues of power and control.
2. According to Semiotics, what is the difference between a 'signifier'
and the 'signified'?
Answer: The signifier is the physical form of the sign (e.g., a word,
sound, or image), while the signified is the mental concept or meaning it
evokes.
Rationale: This distinction is fundamental to understanding how
meaning is constructed through language and media, rather than being
inherent.
3. The Hypodermic Needle/Magic Bullet Theory assumes what
about the audience?
Answer: It assumes the audience is a passive, homogeneous mass that is
directly and uniformly influenced by media messages.
Rationale: This was an early, simplistic model that has been largely
,disproven but is important historically for understanding the evolution of
media effects theories.
4. What is the core argument of Cultivation Theory?
Answer: Long-term, heavy exposure to television cultivates a viewer's
perception of social reality, making it more aligned with the world
portrayed on TV than with actual reality.
Rationale: It shifts focus from short-term effects to the gradual,
cumulative impact of media on our worldview.
5. In the context of media, what does 'Hegemony' refer to?
Answer: It refers to the way ruling classes maintain power not through
force, but by promoting their worldview as the natural and accepted
cultural norm through institutions like the media.
Rationale: This concept explains how consent is manufactured and why
dominant ideologies are often unchallenged in mainstream media.
6. What is the 'Two-Step Flow of Communication' model?
Answer: A theory proposing that media effects are filtered through
'opinion leaders' who interpret messages and then pass them on to a
wider, more passive audience.
Rationale: This model was crucial in moving away from the direct-
effects model by introducing the importance of interpersonal
communication and social networks.
7. How does Agenda-Setting theory differ from Framing?
Answer: Agenda-Setting is about the media telling us what to think
about (the salience of issues), while Framing is about how to think
about an issue by selecting certain aspects and making them more
prominent.
Rationale: Both are powerful media functions, but they operate at
different cognitive levels—one influences importance, the other
influences interpretation.
, 8. What is the primary goal of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)?
Answer: To serve the public interest rather than to generate commercial
profit, focusing on universality, diversity, independence, and
distinctiveness in programming.
Rationale: PSB is a key model for ensuring media fulfills its democratic
and cultural roles, contrasting with purely commercial models.
9. Define 'Media Convergence' with an example.
Answer: The merging of previously distinct media technologies and
industries. Example: A smartphone that allows you to watch movies
(TV/film), read news (print), and make video calls
(telecommunications).
Rationale: Convergence is a defining characteristic of the contemporary
digital media landscape, blurring traditional boundaries.
10. What does 'Representation' mean in media studies?
Answer: It is the process by which the media constructs versions of
people, places, events, and ideas in a mediated form for an audience.
Rationale: Media doesn't simply reflect reality; it re-presents it, and
these representations are loaded with ideological meanings that shape
public perception.
Section 2: Research Methodologies
11. What is the key difference between Quantitative and Qualitative
research?
Answer: Quantitative research collects and analyzes numerical data to
find patterns and averages, while qualitative research deals with non-
numerical data to understand concepts, opinions, and experiences.
Rationale: The choice of methodology depends on the research
ANSWERS STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES || 100%
GUARANTEED PASS <UPDATED VERSION>
Section 1: Foundational Concepts in Media Studies & Theory
1. What is the primary focus of the Political Economy theory in
media studies?
Answer: It focuses on the power relationships in the production,
distribution, and consumption of media, emphasizing how ownership
and economic structures influence media content.
Rationale: This theory moves beyond analyzing content to critically
examine the economic and political structures behind it, highlighting
issues of power and control.
2. According to Semiotics, what is the difference between a 'signifier'
and the 'signified'?
Answer: The signifier is the physical form of the sign (e.g., a word,
sound, or image), while the signified is the mental concept or meaning it
evokes.
Rationale: This distinction is fundamental to understanding how
meaning is constructed through language and media, rather than being
inherent.
3. The Hypodermic Needle/Magic Bullet Theory assumes what
about the audience?
Answer: It assumes the audience is a passive, homogeneous mass that is
directly and uniformly influenced by media messages.
Rationale: This was an early, simplistic model that has been largely
,disproven but is important historically for understanding the evolution of
media effects theories.
4. What is the core argument of Cultivation Theory?
Answer: Long-term, heavy exposure to television cultivates a viewer's
perception of social reality, making it more aligned with the world
portrayed on TV than with actual reality.
Rationale: It shifts focus from short-term effects to the gradual,
cumulative impact of media on our worldview.
5. In the context of media, what does 'Hegemony' refer to?
Answer: It refers to the way ruling classes maintain power not through
force, but by promoting their worldview as the natural and accepted
cultural norm through institutions like the media.
Rationale: This concept explains how consent is manufactured and why
dominant ideologies are often unchallenged in mainstream media.
6. What is the 'Two-Step Flow of Communication' model?
Answer: A theory proposing that media effects are filtered through
'opinion leaders' who interpret messages and then pass them on to a
wider, more passive audience.
Rationale: This model was crucial in moving away from the direct-
effects model by introducing the importance of interpersonal
communication and social networks.
7. How does Agenda-Setting theory differ from Framing?
Answer: Agenda-Setting is about the media telling us what to think
about (the salience of issues), while Framing is about how to think
about an issue by selecting certain aspects and making them more
prominent.
Rationale: Both are powerful media functions, but they operate at
different cognitive levels—one influences importance, the other
influences interpretation.
, 8. What is the primary goal of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)?
Answer: To serve the public interest rather than to generate commercial
profit, focusing on universality, diversity, independence, and
distinctiveness in programming.
Rationale: PSB is a key model for ensuring media fulfills its democratic
and cultural roles, contrasting with purely commercial models.
9. Define 'Media Convergence' with an example.
Answer: The merging of previously distinct media technologies and
industries. Example: A smartphone that allows you to watch movies
(TV/film), read news (print), and make video calls
(telecommunications).
Rationale: Convergence is a defining characteristic of the contemporary
digital media landscape, blurring traditional boundaries.
10. What does 'Representation' mean in media studies?
Answer: It is the process by which the media constructs versions of
people, places, events, and ideas in a mediated form for an audience.
Rationale: Media doesn't simply reflect reality; it re-presents it, and
these representations are loaded with ideological meanings that shape
public perception.
Section 2: Research Methodologies
11. What is the key difference between Quantitative and Qualitative
research?
Answer: Quantitative research collects and analyzes numerical data to
find patterns and averages, while qualitative research deals with non-
numerical data to understand concepts, opinions, and experiences.
Rationale: The choice of methodology depends on the research
