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Unit 2: Impact of New Media forms - Practice Quiz

SOC371 — Sociology Of Media 50 Questions
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1 Which sociological perspective views media as a mechanism that maintains the status quo and reinforces the power of the dominant class?

A. Conflict Theory
B. Postmodernism
C. Functionalism
D. Symbolic Interactionism

2 Who coined the term 'Imagined Communities' to describe how media (specifically print capitalism) helps construct the idea of a nation?

A. Benedict Anderson
B. Karl Marx
C. Manuel Castells
D. Max Weber

3 In the context of Communication for Development (C4D), which approach emphasizes dialogue and the active involvement of the community in the communication process?

A. Participatory Approach
B. Diffusion of Innovations
C. Modernization Paradigm
D. Dependency Paradigm

4 Which term refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs)?

A. Cultural Imperialism
B. Digital Divide
C. Information Overload
D. Media Convergence

5 Howard Rheingold is famously associated with the study of which concept?

A. Virtual Communities
B. The Global Village
C. The Spiral of Silence
D. Media Imperialism

6 Which sociological theory suggests that media functions to alert the public to dangers, coordinate social activities, and transmit culture?

A. Feminist Theory
B. Structural Functionalism
C. Symbolic Interactionism
D. Political Economy

7 What is the primary characteristic of 'New Media' that distinguishes it from traditional mass media?

A. Analog transmission
B. High production costs
C. One-way communication
D. Interactivity

8 The concept of 'The Network Society' was extensively developed by which sociologist?

A. Manuel Castells
B. Anthony Giddens
C. Erving Goffman
D. Pierre Bourdieu

9 Which term describes the phenomenon where people are exposed only to information that reinforces their existing views, often facilitating polarization in social movements?

A. The Echo Chamber
B. The Third-Person Effect
C. Cultivation Theory
D. The Knowledge Gap

10 In the context of the Digital Divide, the 'Second Level Divide' refers to inequality in:

A. Skills and usage
B. Physical access to hardware
C. Broadband speed
D. Electricity availability

11 Which theoretical perspective would be most interested in how individuals construct their online identities through avatars and status updates?

A. Symbolic Interactionism
B. Dependency Theory
C. Functionalism
D. Conflict Theory

12 What is 'Slacktivism'?

A. Government censorship of social movements
B. A form of violent protest
C. The use of hacking for political purposes
D. Low-risk, low-cost online activism with little real-world impact

13 The 'Global Village' concept, predicting that electronic media would shrink the world into a single community, was proposed by:

A. Marshall McLuhan
B. Theodor Adorno
C. Jurgen Habermas
D. Noam Chomsky

14 Which of the following is an example of 'Citizen Journalism'?

A. A bystander live-streaming a protest on Facebook
B. A CNN report on a war zone
C. A peer-reviewed academic article
D. A government press release

15 In Communication for Development, 'Edutainment' refers to:

A. News programs about celebrities
B. Education that is strictly academic
C. Government propaganda
D. Entertainment media designed to educate about social issues

16 Which concept suggests that information gaps between lower and higher socioeconomic status groups widen as mass media information increases?

A. The Digital Native Theory
B. The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis
C. The Uses and Gratifications Theory
D. The Spiral of Silence

17 The process by which old and new media forms, industries, and technologies merge is known as:

A. Media Imperialism
B. Media Convergence
C. Media Divergence
D. Media Fragmentation

18 According to Habermas, the 'Public Sphere' is an area in social life where:

A. Goods and services are traded
B. Private individuals come together to discuss matters of public concern
C. The government issues decrees
D. Family matters are resolved

19 Which of the following describes 'Networked Individualism'?

A. Communities are strictly defined by geography
B. People function as connected individuals rather than embedded group members
C. The government controls all individual networks
D. People are isolated and have no friends

20 The 'Arab Spring' is often cited as a prime example of:

A. Radio-based revolution
B. Social media facilitating social movements
C. The dominance of print media
D. The failure of the internet

21 Technological Determinism is the theory that:

A. Politics determines technological development
B. Technology is neutral
C. Technology is the primary driver of social and cultural change
D. Society shapes technology

22 Which aspect of the Information Revolution allows for the compression of space and time?

A. Industrialization
B. Digitization
C. Urbanization
D. Bureaucracy

23 In the context of new media, 'Prosumer' means:

A. A consumer who is also a producer of content
B. A professional consumer
C. A consumer who protests
D. A producer who consumes nothing

24 The 'Modernization Paradigm' of development communication (1950s-60s) viewed media as:

A. A tool to transfer modern values from West to the Third World
B. A way to preserve indigenous cultures
C. A method for two-way dialogue
D. A tool for cultural imperialism

25 Which of the following is a criticism of 'Virtual Communities'?

A. They require high-level programming skills
B. They are too expensive to join
C. They are limited by geography
D. They lack the strong ties and physical support of face-to-face communities

26 The 'Feminist Perspective' on media primarily critiques:

A. The cost of internet access
B. The representation of gender roles and the objectification of women
C. The lack of sports coverage
D. The speed of technological change

27 What is 'ICT4D'?

A. Information and Communication Technologies for Development
B. Internet Connection Types for Digital devices
C. International Center for Technology and Data
D. Internal Communication Theory for Democracy

28 Jean Baudrillard’s concept of 'Hyperreality' suggests that in the media age:

A. Virtual reality headsets are dangerous
B. The distinction between reality and the simulation of reality creates a condition where the simulation is more real than the real
C. Reality is more important than fiction
D. Media has no impact on reality

29 Which of the following is a barrier contributing to the Digital Divide in the Global South?

A. Excessive government subsidies
B. Over-education of the population
C. Too much local content
D. Lack of infrastructure (electricity/broadband)

30 The 'Gatekeeping' function of media is most challenged by:

A. Television News
B. Social Media and User-Generated Content
C. Newspapers
D. Radio broadcasts

31 Robert Putnam, in 'Bowling Alone', argued that television contributed to:

A. An increase in civic engagement
B. Higher literacy rates
C. The decline of social capital
D. Better health outcomes

32 Which type of social movement utilizes the internet to organize without a central leader?

A. Leaderless or horizontal movements
B. State-sponsored movements
C. Trade unions
D. Hierarchical movements

33 The transition from an industrial society to an information society is marked by the shift from producing goods to producing:

A. Agricultural products
B. Textiles
C. Information and services
D. Heavy machinery

34 What acts as a 'filter bubble' in new media?

A. Government censorship laws
B. The physical screen of a device
C. Algorithms that guess what users want to see based on past behavior
D. Parental control settings

35 In the context of media and community, 'Glocalization' refers to:

A. The adaptation of global media products to local contexts
B. The dominance of local media over global media
C. The ban on foreign media
D. The complete destruction of local culture

36 Which theory focuses on the 'Political Economy' of the media?

A. How symbols are interpreted
B. How media ownership and profit motives influence content
C. How audiences use media for gratification
D. How media fosters social cohesion

37 The 'Gender Digital Divide' refers to:

A. The separation of male and female avatars
B. Women having less access to and use of digital technologies than men
C. Women designing more software than men
D. Men using more data than women

38 Which term describes the blurring of boundaries between work and leisure due to mobile connectivity?

A. Cyber-slacking
B. Digital Detox
C. Always-on Culture
D. Telecommuting

39 In social movement theory, 'Framing' refers to:

A. The physical structure of a protest
B. Falsely accusing someone of a crime
C. Putting a picture in a frame
D. How media constructs a specific interpretation of an issue to mobilize support

40 What is the 'Long Tail' theory in the context of the information revolution?

A. The long history of the internet
B. The long lifespan of a computer
C. Selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities
D. Focusing only on blockbuster hits

41 Diffusion of Innovations theory (Rogers) explains:

A. How new ideas and technologies spread through cultures
B. How viruses spread on computers
C. How governments stop innovation
D. How media prevents change

42 Which of the following is a key feature of 'Web 2.0'?

A. Mainframe computing
B. Static web pages
C. Read-only access
D. User-generated content and social networking

43 The 'Gray Digital Divide' specifically refers to:

A. The gap in technology usage based on age (specifically older adults)
B. The gap between rich and poor
C. The gap between urban and rural areas
D. The gap in color monitors

44 Which term describes media that provides an alternative to the dominant commercial or state-owned media, often supporting social movements?

A. Alternative Media
B. Mass Media
C. Corporate Media
D. Mainstream Media

45 According to the 'Uses and Gratifications' approach, audiences are:

A. Passive victims of media effects
B. Controlled by the government
C. Active selectors of media to fulfill specific needs
D. Unaware of media messages

46 The concept of 'Disembodiment' in virtual communities refers to:

A. The destruction of hardware
B. The separation of the self from the physical body
C. Poor internet connection
D. Losing weight via apps

47 Which form of capital does Bourdieu argue is acquired through education and upbringing, which also influences digital literacy?

A. Social Capital
B. Cultural Capital
C. Political Capital
D. Economic Capital

48 In the context of the Information Revolution, 'Big Data' creates sociological concerns regarding:

A. Surveillance and privacy
B. The weight of servers
C. The shortage of electricity
D. The size of computer screens

49 What is 'Hashtag Activism'?

A. Using hashtags on social media to raise awareness for a cause
B. Building physical tags for protests
C. Banning hashtags
D. Coding for websites

50 The 'Democratic Divide' refers to:

A. The split between two political parties
B. The difference between those who use digital tools to engage in politics and those who do not
C. The divide between democratic and authoritarian regimes
D. The difference in voting machines
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