Previous Readings
This theory argues that the media doesn't tell us what to think, but what to think about.
What is agenda-setting theory?
This scholar discusses how media evolves in response to cultural and technological shifts rather than replacing older media entirely.
Who is Sharon Strober?
According to Kenall, race online is not always visible but can be inferred through this
What is language use/ discourse patterns?
Platforms that monetize relationships rather than content primarily are called this
What are Social Networking Sites (SNS)
If a platform priotizes follower relationships and DMs over long-form uploads, it most closely resembles this type of platform
What is a Social Networking Site (SNS)
This concept explains how the media's emphasis on certain issues influences public perception of importance
What is salience?
The idea that new media does not completely replace old media but reshapes it
What is media coverage or adaptation?
Features that might allow someone to guess race from text include slang, dialect, cultural references
What is code-switching?
User Generated content platforms primarily monetize this
What is content production?
If a user modifies their language to avoid racial stereotyping in an online forum, this demonstrates identity as what kind of process
What is performative/ socially constructed
According to Lori Kendall, identity online is not fixed, but shaped through this process of interaction and interpretation.
What is a socially constructed identity?
Authorities exercising control over technology often do so through this combination of regulation, policy, and infrastructure control
What is institutional power? (Or regulatory control?)
Kendall challenges the assumption that the internet is this "colorblind" space
What is a neutral space
Although SNS and UCG both allow commenting and sharing, this is there key difference
What is interaction v. production orientation?
When users do not engage with a platform feature because of the lack of technical ability, this condition of affordances is limiting action
What is dexterity?
Jose van Dijick argues that platforms are not neutral tools but are shaped by this intentional design logic.
What is connected by design (or platform logic)
An example of authorities controlling technology would be governments influencing this aspect of digital platforms
What is censorship or algorithm governance?
This space is defined as being anonymous, text-heavy, and forum-based
What is Web 1.0
When algorithms rank posts based on engagement
What is the popularity principle?
When younger generations shift from traditional search engines to social video platforms for information, it demonstrates that media evolves alongside this broder societal shift
What is social change?
In Strober's discussion of media evolution, technological change does not happen in isolation but alongside this broader societal transformation.
What is social change/co-evolution of media and society?
Media evolution is shaped not just by technology but by economics, politics, and this cultural factor
What is social norms/cultural values
A user changes their dialect in an online gaming forum to avoid stereotyping. This demonstrates identity as what type of process?
If a platform promotes posts with high engagement while claiming to simply "connect people.", this demonstrates the tensions between these two forms of connectivity
What is human connection v. automated connectivity?
A "mandatory profile completion" prompt that blocks access until filled demostrates which mechanism and which condition?
What is demand (mechanism) and perception/dexterity as conditions?