T-205 Exam 1 Study Guide

Week 1: Introduction to Media and Society
1. (a) Can you describe the information problem that we are facing?
Our culture is oversaturated with information  information-saturated culture
130+ million books published and 1,500 new books published each day
Radio stations broadcast 65.5+ million hours of original programming each year
Television broadcasts 48+ million hours of original programming each year
35+ billion indexed Web pages

(b) What is automaticity?
The automatic processing of information without conscious consideration of each option
Our minds operating without conscious effort from us
Automaticity is subject to manipulation

(c) How did automaticity develop in society? …show more content…

(a) What is the difference between subliminal and automatic processing?
Subliminal processing is the subconscious intake of information that is not perceived

(b) Are we influenced by subliminal content? Why or why not?
No, subliminal content is not perceived and is unable to influence us

(c) Are we influenced by subconscious content? Why or why not?
Yes, subconscious content is perceived and stored in our mind until later when it is needed

3. (a) In what three combined ways can media producers gain the attention of their audiences? Be able to explain each.
Through physical, perceptual, and psychological exposure
Combining the three types of exposure allows media producers to gain the audience’s attention
(b) What happens when all the conditions of exposure to a medium are met? If the media business can be compared to the fashion business, what types of individuals (in terms of innovation adoption) is it best to target and why?
Only after all conditions of exposure to a medium are met can there be attention
They need to target the early adopters and early majority

4. (a) Why do we study the audience?
The audience is studied so broadcasters can determine the optimal programs to create, how to distribute them, how to