• Mediated communication occurs when there is some technology that is used to deliver messages between sources and receivers. • Mass communication refers to mediated communication on a very broad scale.

• The principle of exponentiality states that relatively few items bring most of the income, while the rest add only a little. Across the media industries, about 80 to 90 percent of mass media revenue comes from only 10 to 20 percent of the products made.

• Social cognitive theory states that we learn behavior by watching the behaviors of those whom we have identified as models. • Cultivation theory states that a steady, long-term diet of heavy television viewing results in perceptions of reality that match the (distorted) view of reality presented on television. • Agenda setting is the idea that extensive media coverage of a particular issue will “set the agenda” for what issues people are thinking and talking about.

• The digital divide between the haves and have-nots in terms of regular access • Lack of confidence • Ineffective participation due to information overload • Inability to evaluate the quality of information in converging media • Failure to think critically about the information found on the Internet

• Become media literate. • Monitor our own media use. • Be aware of media effects. • Understand the biases and goals of media sources. • Understand media grammar. • Critically evaluate media messages.