Croteau/Hoynes: Media/Society, 5thEdition
Chapter 1: Media and the Social World
Discussion Questions
1. Explain how the influence of mass media extends beyond what we know to include how we
relate to the social world.
2. Fill in the elements of the “media and the social world” model below and briefly explain how
they relate to each other. (Provide students with a “blank” version of the model).
3. What do sociologists mean by the terms structure and agency? Use an example from your
own media use habits to examine how these terms can be applied to media.
4. How does the presence of media affect your life? What forms of media are you most reliant
on for entertainment, information, and education? How would your life be different without
mass media forms? What mass media forms could you live without?
5. Overall, do you think the growing presence of mass media in our lives is a positive or
negative development? Why?
6. What are the key defining characteristics of “mass media”? In what ways are digital media
forms similar to and different older forms of mass media?
1