Communication and Media Studies Flashcards
6 cards from real BSocSc Bachelor of Social Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Communication and Media Studies flashcards as text
The concept of 'gatekeeping' in journalism and media studies refers to:
Answer: The process by which editors and journalists decide which stories are published or broadcast
Gatekeeping describes the decision-making process by which news organizations filter the enormous flow of potential stories and select which events are deemed newsworthy and presented to audiences.
Stuart Hall's 'encoding/decoding' model of communication argues that:
Answer: Audiences may interpret media messages differently than producers intend based on social position
Hall's model proposes three decoding positions — dominant, negotiated, and oppositional — reflecting how audiences bring their own social, cultural, and ideological frameworks to interpreting media texts.
The term 'yellow journalism' in U.S. media history refers to:
Answer: Sensationalized, exaggerated reporting that prioritizes entertainment over accuracy
Yellow journalism, associated with William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer in the 1890s, describes the use of sensationalist, emotionally charged, and often inaccurate reporting to attract readers and sell papers.
In communication studies, 'parasocial interaction' describes:
Answer: One-sided emotional relationships audiences form with media personalities
Parasocial interaction, coined by Horton and Wohl, describes the illusion of a personal relationship that audience members develop with television hosts, celebrities, or influencers who cannot reciprocate the connection.
The concept of 'media literacy' in education refers to:
Answer: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media content critically
Media literacy encompasses the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate sources, recognize bias, understand how media shapes public discourse, and participate as an informed media consumer and creator.
The 'two-step flow' model of communication, developed by Lazarsfeld and Katz, proposes that:
Answer: Media messages often reach audiences indirectly through opinion leaders who filter and interpret content
The two-step flow model argues that mass media influence is mediated by opinion leaders — people who are highly engaged with media and whose interpretations of content influence their social networks.