Croteau&Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition
Chapter 9: Media Technology and Social Change
Test Bank
1. The following arguments concern how technologies change society. Which of the following arguments
is not considered an example of technological determinism?
2. Which of the following is not considered an example of “Web 2.0” technologies?
3. The new media business model where providers sell a huge and diverse selection of items in small
quantities is called _______.
4. The technology for bringing audio or video to the Internet is known as:
5. The behavior in cyberspace in which advertisers or information collectors copy online conversations
and personal information from social networking sites is called ______.
6. Which of the following is not a core argument from social construction of technology?
7. Which of the following terms does not express the idea of interactive new media?
8. Which of the following can be considered an example of “pseudo–events”?
9. Which of the following is not a defining characteristic of mass communication?
10. Which of the following best describes McLuhan’s quote, “The medium is the message”?
11. In early use of the term media, it was part of the phrase:
12. “New media,” including the Internet, are bursting open the meaning of mass media except for the
following:
13. Joshua Meyrowitz’s use of the term medium theory refers to the body of literature that focuses on
the:
14. Marshall McLuhan argues that the shifts in new media technologies:
15. The term pseudo event is defined as:
16. Meyrowitz argues that the primary social impact of television is the way the media:
17. Hypertext refers to:
18. Some medium theorists fear the following as we become immersed in computer technologies,
except:
19. In the earliest years of radio, its use was seen as:
Croteau&Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition
20. The Radio Act of 1912:
21. In the 1950s, television was marketed to women as something that:
22. Forms of “new media” are often seen as allowing citizens to do all of the following except:
23. The most popular online news sites are generally:
24. Internet portals have employed a broadcast-oriented business model, based on:
25. Internet portals earn money from the following except:
26. Media scholar Marshall McLuhan once said, “The medium is the message.” Explain what he meant.
27. How do you differentiate new media such as the Internet and mobile technologies from traditional
media such as television, newspaper, and radio? What are the key characteristics of new media and
traditional media, respectively?
Type: E
28. Define the ideas of “technological determinism” and “social construction of technology.” Then
discuss which idea better explains the current state of relationship between the Internet and society.
29. Some commentators say that the rise of television in the 20th century contributed to the decline of
the seriousness in public life. Explain this statement and discuss whether you agree or disagree with it.
30. In traditional mass media, receivers are always known.
31. “Medium theory” suggests that what matters most in media studies is the contents.
32. Technological determinists argue that technologies are an independent force that dictates processes
of social change.
33. The 1% rule of the Internet says that for every person who creates content, there are 99 who do not.
34. Corporate capital played a key role in developing the broadcast model of radio in the early 20th
century.
35. In a “long tail” business model, large corporations buy up small companies to remove competition.
36. “Binge viewing” refers to consuming many episodes of a television series in one sitting or over a few
days.
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37. Neil Postman argued that the dominance of television and an image-oriented culture undermined
rational public discourse in mid-20th century America.