Internet Origins
What was the name of the U.S. military project that became the foundation of the Internet?
What is ARPAnet?
In analog technology, information is stored in what type of format?
What is physical format (like film or vinyl records)?
Define media convergence in one sentence.
What is the merging of technologies, industries, and content across platforms?
Name one of the “Big Four” companies dominating digital platforms.
What is Google, Meta, Apple, or Amazon?
What is the digital divide?
What is the gap between those with access to digital media/skills and those without?
In what decade did ARPAnet first begin?
What are the 1960s?
Digital technology stores information using what system?
What is binary code (0s and 1s)?
Give an example of technological convergence in everyday life.
What is a smartphone combining phone, camera, music, GPS, and Internet?
What major film studio does Comcast own?
What is Universal Pictures?
Give one example of how the digital divide showed up during COVID-19
What is students without laptops or Wi-Fi struggling with online learning?
What invention in the 1990s made the Internet easier for the public to use?
What are web browsers?
Give one example of an analog-to-digital media shift.
What is CDs → MP3s, or VHS tapes → streaming?
Which company owns both film studios, TV channels, and theme parks (an example of industry convergence)?
What is Disney? (Comcast)
Why is concentrated ownership in digital media a concern?
Because a few companies control most content and distribution.
What scandal involved Facebook user data being used for political targeting?
What is Cambridge Analytica?
Which search engine, launched in 1998, quickly became dominant worldwide?
What is Google?
Why is digital media easier to reproduce and share than analog?
Because it can be copied perfectly without loss of quality.
What’s an example of content convergence with Marvel?
What is a Marvel film, Disney+, memes, video games, and merchandise?
Which company owns Instagram and WhatsApp?
What is one risk of companies collecting personal data?
What is invasion of privacy, targeted ads, or surveillance?
Originally, what was the primary purpose of ARPAnet during the Cold War?
What is secure communication between military and research institutions?
What is the key cultural impact of the shift from analog to digital?
What is the democratization of media (anyone can create, remix, and share content)?
Why does media convergence blur the line between producers and consumers?
Because audiences now create and share their own media, not just consume it.
What is the term for when one company owns multiple kinds of media outlets (TV, internet, film, etc.)?
What is industry convergence?
Why is privacy harder to protect in the digital age?
Because nearly all online activity leaves behind data that can be tracked and sold.