CHAPTER REVIEW

COMMON THREADS

One of the Common Threads discussed in Chapter 1 is the commercial nature of mass media. The Internet is no exception, as advertisers have capitalized on its ability to be customized. How might this affect other media industries?

People love the simplicity of Pinterest, the visual social media site where users “pin” images and videos to their “board,” creating a customized site that reflects their own personal style on topics like home décor, apparel, food, crafts, or travel. To sign up for an account, users provide their name, e-mail address, and gender (male or female). The final choice is already prechecked by Pinterest and says, “Let Pinterest personalize your experience based on other sites you visit.”

Pinterest is just one example of the mass customization the Internet offers—something no other mass medium has been able to provide. (When is the last time a television, radio, newspaper, or movie spoke directly to you, or let you be the content producer?) This is one of the Web’s greatest strengths—it can connect us to the world in a personally meaningful way. But a casualty of the Internet may be our shared common culture. A generation ago, students and coworkers across the country gathered on Friday mornings to discuss what happened the previous night on NBC’s “must-see” TV shows, like Roseanne, Seinfeld, Friends, and Will & Grace. Today it’s more likely that they watched vastly different media the night before. And if they did view the same thing—say, a funny YouTube video—it’s likely they all laughed alone, because they watched it individually, although they may have later shared it with their friends on a social media site.

We have become a society divided by the media, often split into our basic entity: the individual. One would think that advertisers dislike this, since it is easier to reach a mass audience by showing commercials during The Voice. But mass customization gives advertisers the kind of personal information they once only dreamed about: your e-mail address, hometown, zip code, and birthday, and a record of your interests—what Web pages you visit and what you buy online. If you have a Facebook profile or a Gmail account, they may know even more about you—what you did last night or what you are doing right now. What will advertisers have the best chance of selling to you with all this information? With the mass-customized Internet, you may have already told them.

KEY TERMS

The definitions for the terms listed below can be found in the glossary at the end of the book. The page numbers listed with the terms indicate where the term is highlighted in the chapter.

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

The Development of the Internet and the Web

  1. Question 2.1

    When did the Internet reach the novelty (development), entrepreneurial, and mass medium stages?
    When did the Internet reach the novelty (development), entrepreneurial, and mass medium stages?

  2. Question 2.2

    How did the Internet originate? What role did the government play?
    How did the Internet originate? What role did the government play?

  3. Question 2.3

    How does the World Wide Web work? What is its significance in the development of the Internet?
    How does the World Wide Web work? What is its significance in the development of the Internet?

  4. Question 2.4

    Why did Google become such a force in Web searching?
    Why did Google become such a force in Web searching?

The Web Goes Social

  1. Question 2.5

    What is the difference between a “Read/Only” culture and a “Read/Write” culture on the Internet?
    What is the difference between a “Read/Only” culture and a “Read/Write” culture on the Internet?

  2. Question 2.6

    What are the six main types of social media?
    What are the six main types of social media?

  3. Question 2.7

    What are the democratic possibilities of social media? How can social media aid political repression?
    What are the democratic possibilities of social media? How can social media aid political repression?

Convergence and Mobile Media

  1. Question 2.8

    What conditions enabled media convergence?
    What conditions enabled media convergence?

  2. Question 2.9

    What role do mobile devices play in media convergence, and what significant mobile milestones can you think of?
    What role do mobile devices play in media convergence, and what significant mobile milestones can you think of?

  3. Question 2.10

    How has convergence changed our relationship with media and with the Internet?
    How has convergence changed our relationship with media and with the Internet?

  4. Question 2.11

    What elements of today’s digital world are part of the Semantic Web?
    What elements of today’s digital world are part of the Semantic Web?

The Economics and Issues of the Internet

  1. Question 2.12

    Which of the five major digital companies are most aligned with the “open Internet,” and which are most aligned with the “closed Internet”?
    Which of the five major digital companies are most aligned with the “open Internet,” and which are most aligned with the “closed Internet”?

  2. Question 2.13

    What is the role of data mining in the digital economy? What are the ethical concerns?
    What is the role of data mining in the digital economy? What are the ethical concerns?

  3. Question 2.14

    What is the digital divide, and what is being done to close the gap?
    What is the digital divide, and what is being done to close the gap?

  4. Question 2.15

    Why is net neutrality such an important issue?
    Why is net neutrality such an important issue?

  5. Question 2.16

    What are the major alternative voices on the Internet?
    What are the major alternative voices on the Internet?

The Internet and Democracy

  1. Question 2.17

    How can the Internet make democracy work better?
    How can the Internet make democracy work better?

  2. Question 2.18

    What are the key challenges to making the Internet itself more democratic?
    What are the key challenges to making the Internet itself more democratic?

QUESTIONING THE MEDIA

  1. Question 2.19

    What possibilities for the Internet’s future are you most excited about? Why? What possibilities are most troubling? Why?
    What possibilities for the Internet’s future are you most excited about? Why? What possibilities are most troubling? Why?

  2. Question 2.20

    What advantages of media convergence enable all types of media content to be accessed on a single device?
    What advantages of media convergence enable all types of media content to be accessed on a single device?

  3. Question 2.21

    Google’s corporate motto is “Don’t be evil.” Which of the five major digital corporations (Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook) seems to have the greatest tendency for evil? Which seems to do the most good? Why?
    Google’s corporate motto is “Don’t be evil.” Which of the five major digital corporations (Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook) seems to have the greatest tendency for evil? Which seems to do the most good? Why?

  4. Question 2.22

    As we move from a print-oriented Industrial Age to a digitally based Information Age, how do you think individuals, communities, and nations have been affected positively? How have they been affected negatively?
    As we move from a print-oriented Industrial Age to a digitally based Information Age, how do you think individuals, communities, and nations have been affected positively? How have they been affected negatively?

LAUNCHPAD FOR MEDIA & CULTURE