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RTF Final 2011
meh
50
Film, Theatre & Television
Undergraduate 3
12/06/2011

Additional Film, Theatre & Television Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Topics of Globalization Research in Media studies
Definition
1) The international flow (production and distribution) of media technologies and content.

2) The global and local aspects of media texts: genre, narrative, style, actors, etc

3) The global media audience: level of effects and ways of reception
Term
Cultural Imperialism
(Central arguments & limitations)
Definition
Cultural flow reflects imbalance in global power structure. Small number of US transnational conglomerates dominate global media flow. Relies on a top-down model of power that is unidirectional.

Argues that the USA's hegemonic influence limits the power of the developing and post-colonial world to counteract US mass culture
Term
Culture Imperialism
(Disney example)
Definition
How does Saludos Amigos represent the people of Latin America to its viewers? --> As an inferior nation that is in need of help from the U.S.
Term
Cultural Imperialism
(Global Hollywood)
Definition
An international "coordinated attempt by capital and the state to maintain a position of market and ideological dominance"

New International Division of Cultural Labor
-Differentiation of cultural labor
-Globalization of labor process
-Hollywood's strategies for defending authority over labor markets
-Role of national governments in aiding Hollywood's growth
Term
Limitations of Cultural Imperialism
Definition
Is too totalizing across different nations, media industries and audiences
-Doesn't consider context of production or reception of culture
-Producers and consumers on a global scale aren't given any agency in decision-making
-Capitalism is given too much power
Term
Cultural Imperialism
(Arguments)
Definition
How do you explain...?

Diversity of local cultures that are preserved and reinforced
-National media and the state are still strong in some places

Multi-directional cultural flows that originate from multiple locations (bahn mi). US isn't the only source of cultural flow
Term
McDonaldization
Definition
Coined by sociologist George Ritzer, this term refers to the homogenization of business and culture by corporations
Term
Regionalization
Definition
Links nations together based on geographic, cultural, linguistic and historical commonalities
Term
Cultural-linguistic market
Definition
Market of nations that share similarities in geographical region (geographic proximity) and/or language, race, ethnicity, history, religion and culture

Global media flows often follow the same patterns as cultural and linguistic flows
Term
Cultural Proximity
(coined by Joe Straubhaar)
Definition
Cultural proximity argues that cross-culture exchange tends to happen most readily between countries with similar cultural and linguistic heritages.

The desire for cultural products as similar as possible to one's own culture, history and value

Most important aspect of cultural proximity is language
Term
Hybridization
Definition
The synthesis over time of local historical forces and new international or global forces

Relies on a model of power that is multilateral and multi-directional

Argues that when cultures meet, they influence each other in multiple ways that often complicate traditional power relationships

Hybridity is accelerated by: war, colonialism, travel, communication technology (these increase transnational communication and cross-cultural exchange)
Term
Localization and Globalization
(know the difference)
Definition
Localization: a product that is produced locally but based on an idea or concept from elsewhere in the globe. Local/national/regional television adaptation (i.e. MTV)

Globalization: a product that is produced and distributed globally, but is tailored to fit a particular local audience. A multinational corporate advertising (mcdonalds etc)
Term
Net Neutrality
Definition
A principle that advocates no restrictions by Internet Service Providers or governments on consumers' access to networks that participate in the Internet. Specifically, network neutrality would prevent restrictions on content, sites, platforms, types of equipment that may be attached and modes of communication.

Based on the principle that the Internet is an open and free medium. Against discrimination of websites b ased on type of data offered

For economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech. ISPs want to charge more to transmit sites that use up more bandwidth (or meter usage)
Term
ISPs
(Internet Service Providers)
Definition
Provides a channel to access Internet.

Want to charge more to transmit sites that use up more bandwidth, but net neutrality keeps that from happening
Term
Personal Computers (PCs)
Definition
1940s: Developed primarily for military purposes, mostly by university research labs.

Mid 1970s: technological developments enable the PC

First used/experimented with by hobbyists (compare with radio)

By 1980s: available for business and home

TV industry threatened by widespread use of PCs
-influx of computer technologies (spreadsheets, word processing, etc) change labor practices in a series of factories across the US.
Term
Digital Divide
Definition
Inequalities between individuals, households, business and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and Internet connectivity and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information gained

Issues of incorporating excluded populations

Studies show that people with more education, higher incomes, that are young, white and from non-rural areas typically have more access to the internet
Term
Origins of the Internet
Definition
ARPANET: the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global internet. Created by US military in coordination with several universities in order to move information securely between military institutions

1991: network opened to commercial enterprises and general public

-government withdraws funding by 1995

-starts to serve a diversity of purposes, including commercial. more innovations from non-government and non-university users.

-the world wide web and web browsers bring in users
Term
ARPANET
(Advanced Research Projects Agency Network)
Definition
The world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet

Funded by US department of defense. Initially for military purposes: to connect and protect weapons research facilities across the nation.

decentralized network of communications.

later, extended to general research/academic community and for other government programs
Term
Moore's Law
Definition
The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every 18 months (consumers tend to replace electronics/they get better every 18 months)
Term
Internet Diffusion in the US vs. Other Countries
Definition
US is ranked 23 on available internet access

US has slow speed of 8.9 megabits/sec while Japan has 93.7 (there are 13 countries with faster speed than US)
Term
Cell Phone as "Third Screen"
Definition
AS media gets more mobile, people begin to break up their attention span between different media platforms; people learn better when they have the option to check in and out of media platforms; with these technologies you're able to do more than one thing at once and devise your focus between platforms
Term
Dot-com bubble
Definition
-e-commerce becomes "the" business model; leads to dot-com bubble
Term
The Long Tail
Definition
Anderson - refers to a marketing strategy within Internet based sites and media outlets

Not needing to stock as many of an item because there are similar options. (i..e Amazon stocks 2-3 iPads but offers many other tablets)
Term
Social Media
Definition
Media that facilitate and increase interactivity and communication among people
-Internet and mobile communication media
-i.e. email, social networking, IM, voice chat, interactive games, texting
Term
New Media and Identity Management
Definition
-Think about how this changes how we think about celebrities. Celebrities create their own identities through twitter .

-With new media platforms people within the public sphere are better able to control their identity, and have better connections with fans/followers.

-They now have to manage their identities online. Identity management is profoundly transformed.

i.e. Chad Ochocinco engages with public, 50 Cent repulses public
Term
Bonding vs. Bridging Social Capital
Definition
Bonding: exclusive, homogeneous ties, building on these. Strengthening relationships with people we already know. "People like us" - Family; roommates; close friends from school, work, etc

Bridging: inclusive, heterogeneous ties. Making connections with people we don't know. "people not like us" - strangers; people who you don't know well, of different backgrounds.
Term
"Twitter Revolutions" in the Middle East and Asia
Definition
-The "Arab Spring" which occurred in places like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, etc. used Twitter and other Social Networking sites to help fuel their revolutions by gaining support and organizing on the internet. Western media seemed to make these social media sites seem more important than what they actually were. Twitter often provided inaccurate information.

Their governments shut down the Internet for several days, as an attempt to slow/stop the revolutions, but it didn't work. In many of the countries the main leaders, such as Gaddafi (Libya's president) and Mubarak (Egypt's president), stepped down from office after decades of power
Term
Citizen Journalism
Definition
-Web 2.0 allows interaction from the users , which makes citizen journalism possible on blogs such as the Huffington Post

-News outlets reaches out to individuals to produce content for the paper/website as a tool for interaction and to help get news events out in real time
Term
Malcom Gladwell's Critique of Twitter
Definition
Twitter and similar forms of mobile platform-based media cannot create the kind of "deep connections and investment" necessary to sustain a political movement.
Term
Introduction to Digital Cultures
Definition
Interactivity: the individuals ability to interact with media

Late 20th century technologies emerging from convergence of old media with new computer and communication technologies
---->the internet, video games, social networking, peer-to-peer networks, citizen journalism

As opposed t o more traditional forms of narrative structure found in old media (speech, literature, film, television, music, theater)

-Interactivity is an expression of the extent that in a given series of communication exchanges, any third transmission is related to the degree to which previous exchanges referred to even earlier transmissions
Term
Participatory Culture
Definition
-People now have the opportunity to cooperate in massive, collaborative online projects (i.e. Wikipedia, open source mapping, etc) -->widespread political blogging

-We are tracking the shift from "reading cultures" to "read-write" cultures.
Ushahidi
Term
Problems with a Participatory culture
Definition
1) Free labor and lateral surveillance.
2) intellectual property
Term
Remix culture
Definition
The right to make and derive works (creative commons)
-the idea that everyone as individuals are able to create content because of access to new technologies. like cheaper video cameras and recording equipment, etc.
Term
Intellectual property
Definition
A creative work of art, writing, film or software that belongs to a legally protected owner.
-Companies and organizations that represent the interests of companies are interested in making sure the holder of the copyright gets compensated (unless a case of fair use)

-However, many argue that the tables are too far in favor of the copyright holders.
-Punishments often very severe.
Term
Fair Use
Definition
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of creative work.
Term
Creative Commons Licensing
Definition
Commercial vs. Non-commercial use
-right to make derivative works
-can you have a non-commercial culture?
-what about the rights of the artist?

-Lateral surveillance in social networking and in Internet monitoring (i.e. how Amazon and Facebook collect data on individuals)

-People spy on each other for "security" and to give information about themselves to corporations like Amazon
Term
Criteria for Assessing "Alternative Media"
Definition
-Anything that attempts to "make a rupture in the system"

-Depends on the origin ,content and form of the project. As well as the system of production and distribution; structures of governance and membership; and the results or outcome of the project.

-Origin of the project, content and form of the project, system production and distribution (i.e. what media are used to produce the product AND how it's distributed), structures of governance and membership, results or outcomes
Term
The African American Press
Definition
Origin: Started as early as mid 19th century as community newspapers and then became national in early 20th with Chicago Defender. The goal was to provide a "voice" for the disenfranchised AA community.

Content: One of the key terrains of debate was between different camps: should it be about political issues or ab out "capturing AA way of life"?

Form: Newspaper produced weekly and/or daily.

Structure of governance: sometimes corporate, sometimes collective (Eagle)

Distribution Method: subscription. however, in order to distribute the paper in areas facing extreme racial prejudice, alternative methods were utilized.

Results: while these newspapers provided an invaluable resource and political tool, there was no coherence. The main issue with the AA press as "alternative media" grew out of the wide variety of different types of newspaper and leadership. The argument was along two lines: is alt media about representing a minority lifestyle or critiquing the mainstream?
Term
Charlotta Bass
Definition
Of California Eagle, critiquing the mainstream.
Charlotta = critiques.
Term
Robert Abbott
Definition
Of Chicago Defender, representing minority lifestyle
Roberts = represents
Term
Paper Tiger TV
Definition
Origin: founded in the late 1970s by feminist activists in NYC as an alternative to mainstream news in entertainment.

Content/form: committed to exhibiting political content that questioned corporate control of media industries. The style involved a combination of avant-garde art and informational news programs.

Structure of governance: collective leadership, volunteer system.

Distribution: paper tiger TV was largely distributed in two venues: public access television and the art museum/space context

Results: while it thrived in the art context, PTTV had too limited an audience. The means of communication could not reach a critical mass of people. Also, equipment proved costly.
Term
The Zapatista Rebellion
Definition
Origin: Indigenous residents of Chiapas, Mexico and revolutionary Marxist intellectuals. With NAFTA, indigenous farming methods were threatened. On the night before the agreement's inception, a group of armed insurgents (calling themselves the Zapatistas after Emiliano Zapata) took over the central government offices in all major cities in the state. When they could not instigate a national revolution, the Zapatistas turned to the Internet to gain support and bolster solidarity.

Content: messages about international impacts of free trade on poor populations.

Form: website devoted to tracking the Zapatista cause

Method of distribution: worldwide networks: "these networks provide the nerve system for increasingly global organization in opposition to the dominant economic policies of the present period"

Results: "The Zapatista call to discuss neoliberalism - the pro-market economic policies currently embraced by corporations, investors, governments, etc and possible global responses evoked a resonance within hundreds of different grassroots groups which had previously been unable to find common points of reference..."
Term
NAFTA
Definition
North American Free Trade Agreement (1924)
Term
Neoliberalism
Definition
The pro-market economic policies currently embraced by corporations, investors, governments, etc.
Term
New Modes of Social Movement Networks
Definition
Network based political movements use the Internet as the primary means of communications and information dissemination.
Term
Saludos Amigos vs. Good Neighbor Policy
Definition
The Good Neighbor Policy was trying to form a strategic partnership with Latin countries, in order to benefit from their alliance, and the economic profits that could be made (like from bananas). "Saludos Amigos" and the other film shown, are good examples of the US trying to show both American people and Latin people how the other culture lives. It's also trying to press more of an American culture onto the Latin countries, by saying how they live isn't proper (like the cleanliness video...) and trying to "modernize" them as well.
Term
The New International Division of Cultural Labor
Definition
Hollywood's runaway productions: US production travels to other nations to save on costs (cheap labor for prop building, food preparation, etc)

dis/advantages for hollywood:
-advantages: hollywood saves money

-disadvantages: hurts domestic economy, loss of American jobs, poor worker treatment to foreign workers
Term
Efforts of Local governments to Recruit Runaway Productions
Definition
-Governments create/tend to their own screen industries and tourism
---i.e. Dollywood Studios (Dubai) was set up to permit workers from across the world to work on projects without restrictions. Intention of making Dubai the hub of the film industry.
Term
The Influence of Geopolitics of Television
Definition
How, during wartime, people of a given area will feel more strongly about their own given area. When the American guy (Lt Josh Rushing) was talking about the footage of the American POWs and the dead American soldiers, he was much more upset than when he saw the footage of the Middle Eastern deaths and tragedies. He talked ab out how you can go back to eating your dinner after you see the other country's deaths, but when you see your own you are much more unsettled.
Term
How the "West" Interprets the Middle East
Definition
Altered opinions because of propaganda. The US military controlled the imagery sent to America in order to protect information about militaristic moves? Thus Western views consisted of: we are the good guys, we are bringing democracy to these people, they are so happy. When in reality they were deeply distraught?
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