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Glossary of Key Terms/Concepts
A
Ageism: A term referring to the discrimination, subordination, or stereotyping of a particular
individual or group based on age, and the distorted representation of age.
Agenda Setting: The news media influences what the audience thinks about depending on if a
topic is covered in the news. The agenda also is set by where the story is placed on the page or
in a newscast.
American Indian Movement (AIM): A Native American activist group that was formed in
1968 by members of an American Indian community in Minnesota. Its mission was, and
continues to be, addressing important issues involving Native Americans, including treaty issues,
poverty, and community rights. The group broke into two factions in 1993 because of
organizational grievances.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Signed into effect by President George H.W. Bush. Title I of
the ADA “prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies, and
labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job
applications procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other
terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.”
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Arab Americans: Americans with ancestry from countries or regions, mainly in North Africa or
the Middle East, in which Arabic is the official language.
Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC): A non-profit civil rights organization
that strives to empower Arab Americans and bring about understanding of the Arab world.
Asian Americans: Label used to represent those Americans whose ethnic origins can be traced
to Pacific, Southeast, South, and East Asian areas of the world.
B
Bisexual: Term used to describe a person who is physically and sexually attracted to both sexes
Blaxplotation films: Movies, generally in the 1970s, starring African American actors as brash
and empowered men and women. Black characters were exploited as pimps and criminals; white
characters were oppressors.
Brown v. Board of Education: (347 U.S. 483 [1954]). The U.S. Supreme Court determined
that laws that allowed for separate public schools for black and white children were not equal.
Separate schools denied black children an equal opportunity to the same education that their
white counterparts had.
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C
Caste System: A term that refers to a rigid system of social structure, used by some researchers
to define how teenagers, and teenage girls in particular are often represented in film and
entertainment television.
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: U.S. act that prohibited Chinese laborers from entering into the
U.S. for 10 years beginning in 1882. The Act was continuously renewed until its repeal in 1943.
Citizen Journalism: The practice of members of a particular group or audience playing an
active role in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information.
Civic Journalism: The practice of news media outlets reaching out to the public and listening to
the audience, making the news outlet a forum for discussion of community issues. The tenets of
civic journalism include favoring issues, events, and problems important to ordinary people, and
situating professional journalists as active participants in community life, rather than as detached
spectators.
Civil Rights Movement: A reform effort in the U.S. (roughly between 1955-1968) where
citizens asked that racial discrimination be outlawed. During this time Congress passed several
laws (Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965) designed
to give African Americans equal rights.
Class: Socially stratified groups influenced by financial means.
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Cognitive Script Theory: A theoretical proposition stating individuals form cognitive templates
or scripts of behaviors that help them to then quickly assess and react to future behaviors.
Cognitive Schemas: Interrelated conceptual units of information that assist individuals to
coherently organize information.
Commodification: Mass production for the purposes of sale.
Commodification of Culture: The packaging of elements of diverse groups to produce a media
story. For the purposes of our book, media producers create (package) some part of an
ethnic/racial culture such as an ethnic music genre and sell it to mass media audiences. The
packaging can lead to stereotypes and limited representations.
Conglomerate: A company with a grouping of business. In the media industry, a conglomerate
may produce and/or distribute content for audiences.
Constructionist Approach to Representation: Asserts language does not reproduce things or
convey the intentions of the language producer; rather, it is a part of the systems of knowledge
production through which meanings are created.
Content analysis: Studying the communication of an organization (newspaper, television
program, film. . . ) to determine meaning
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Cultivation Theory: This theory asserts that the more television a person watches, the more
likely they are to adopt attitudes and beliefs based on television’s stereotypical images.
Cultural Capital: The phenomenon that holds that there is high culture for those with power
and taste (the upper class) and low culture for those who have none (the middle and lower class).
D
Dawes Act: Established in1887, the act was designed to sanction the break up of tribal lands into
parcels to allow individual Indians to farm or ranch their own land. It had the damaging impact
of allowing speculators to grab lands that had belonged to the Indian tribes, and often left many
American Indians landless and in poverty. The Act remained in effect until 1934.
Digital divide: The space between those with computers and internet access and those who do
not. Often this divide means people with money have access to more information (and
opportunity) than those without money.
Diversity: State of being composed of different characteristics or traits.
“Dragon Lady”: A phrase used to describe an Asian female who exudes sexuality but is cruel
and deadly at the same time.
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E
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rule, 1969: The Federal Communications
Commission’s rule that required broadcast stations to document their efforts at recruiting ethnic
minorities. In 1971, this rule was broadened to include women as well.
Ethnicity: A more fluid concept than race. Ethnicity encompasses an individual’s heredity,
national origin, and culture.
Euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide: The act of ending the life of someone who has a
terminal illness or an incurable condition. In the United States, physician-assisted suicide is legal
in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and to a limited extent, in Texas (as of the printing of this
book).
Evil savage: A derogatory label used to represent an American Indian as a subhuman and
vicious figure that was opposed to civilization.
Executive Order 9066: A U.S. governmental order that was issued on February 19, 1942,
authorizing the removal of approximately 110,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry from their
homes and into hastily erected U.S. internment camps.
F
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The Feminine Mystique: A groundbreaking book written in 1963 by Betty Friedan that is
considered to have ignited the women’s movement of the 1960s. It was called one of the most
influential books of the 20th century by The New York Times.
Feminist Theory: Interpretations under this theory varies depending on perspective (i.e., radical
feminist, liberal feminist, etc.). What all perspectives share is an acknowledgment that female
point of views and input are needed in understanding the political and social world.
First Wave Feminism: Refers to the first concerted movement working toward reforming
women’s social and legal rights in the early 19th century. Key concerns of First Wave Feminists
were education, employment, and the right to vote.
Framing: A process in which a perceived reality is organized in such a way that certain aspects
of the reality are stressed, while others are de-emphasized, leading to a particular definition or
understanding the social world.
G
Gay: Term used to describe men and women attracted to the same sex; preferred over
homosexual except in clinical contexts or references to sexual activity.
Gender: A social construction that is distinct from biological sex.
GenXer: A term used to represent the generation of people born in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Glossy Ceiling: Phrase making reference to the lack of ethnic minorities working for large,
mainstream magazines.
The Great Depression: A period of economic decline in the United States that lasted from 1929
to 1939.
Group Binary: The positioning of social groups at extreme ends of each other, with one end
representing the positive and the other end representing the negative.
H
Hate Crime: A crime that is committed by an individual against another individual due to the
group membership (based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion) to which the victim
belongs.
The Hays Code: A self-regulatory list of rules that the Motion Picture Producers and
Distributors of America, Inc. implemented. This list of “dos” and “don’ts” set standards for
morality on the silver screen between 1930 and 1968.
Hegemony: The dominance of political and social elites over those with less power. The
dominance is not through force or coercion, but rather through use of culture public consent.
High culture: An upper-class part of society that enjoys what is considered to be literary and
artistic sophistication.
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Hispanic: Those individuals who have origins from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America, and
South America.
Hypersexuality: An overemphasis on attractiveness and sexuality by way of clothing and body
proportions.
I
Immigration Act of 1924: U.S. act that broadened the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 by
placing restrictions on other Asian immigrants. The Act placed national origin immigration
quotas and remained in effect until 1965.
Intentional Approach to Representation: Assumes meanings that exist are conscious creations
of the authors, and that pictures or words are conveying what the source of those words or
pictures intended to convey.
J
Jazz Age: The period between 1920 and the Great Depression that saw free thought in music and
the arts.
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Jim Crow laws: (1876-1965) State and local laws in the U.S. that provided for separate equal
facilities including hotels, restaurants, drinking fountains, and restrooms for Blacks and Whites.
The separate facilities were maintained differently, and, as a result, were unequal.
K
Kerner Report: A 1968 report issued by the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders,
which heavily criticized television stations and newspapers for failing to adequately employ and
represent African Americans.
L
Lesbian: Commonly used term when describing women who are sexually attracted to other
women.
LGBT: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered; often referred to when referencing a
community of people defined by their sexual orientation. Also abbreviated GLBT.
Licensed withdrawal: A pattern, often seen in advertising images, in which women more often
than men are pictured as removed psychologically from the social situation at large, leaving them
disoriented in it, and presumably, therefore, dependent on the protectiveness and goodwill of
others.
Liminality: Scientifically, the term refers to existing between two different states. In reference
to diversity, the term means changing or evolving social status.
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Low culture: A part of society that enjoys more popular expressions of art and literature.
Members of this group are considered to be a less educated and not as financially well off as
those who enjoy high culture.
M
Materialism: A set of attitudes that regard possessions as symbols of success where possessions
occupy a central part of life and that include holding the belief that more possessions lead to
more happiness.
Male Gaze: Phrase that emerged from feminist and film study research. It implies that the image
of a woman is created from the perspective of an implied male observer.
Millenials: A term used to represent the generation of people born between the mid-1970s and
early 2000s.
Model Minority: An individual of Asian descent who is law-abiding, bright, and deferential to
authority figures.
N
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): U.S. civil rights
organization. Its mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of
rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
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Native Americans: Label used to represent those Americans who have at least one quarter of
tribal blood.
News framing: The process of filtering and transmitting information through an angle or ‘frame’
in order to put forth a particular perspective.
Niche: Content that is designed to have a specific appeal. For example, ESPN appeals to a
sports niche.
Noble savage: A derogatory label used to signify an American Indian as a child-like, innocent
creature that was in touch with nature and did not pose a threat.
O
Orientalism: Traditionally used to describe academic studies of the “Orient,” now more
commonly referred to as Asia. Now, it is understood as Western ideas regarding near Eastern
people and cultures that emphasize difference and exoticism.
The “Other”: The social group that is considered to be a part of the out-group, rather than the
in-group. The group that is considered to be a serious threat to the status-quo.
P
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Panethnic: Encompassing many groups, each having its own common culture, language, and/or
religion.
Parasocial interactions/relationship: Phenomenon where audience members create friendships
with the figures they see in the media. Also related to the perceived interactions between the
audience member and the media figure.
Participatory Parity in Media: The state in which all social groups have their interests,
perspectives, and cultures represented in the media.
Priming: The process by which activated mental constructs can influence how individuals
evaluate other concepts and ideas.
R
Race: A classification of individual genetics originally based on geographic origin.
Reflective Approach to Representation: Assumes language can stand in for or replicate the
likeness of what exists in reality.
Reggeaton: Dance music with Caribbean roots. This music has a mix of hip hop and rap
elements.
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Representation: The forms of language (e.g., words, images, musical notes, etc.) that are used to
convey ideas that are generated in society for purposes of communication and the production of
meaning.
S
“Scotch Tape” Asian Characters: A phrase used to describe characters played by non-Asian
actors in early film who used tape to pull back their eyes and make them appear as slits.
Second Wave Feminism: Refers to the increase in feminist activity in the late 1960s and 1970s.
This movement was primarily concerned with de facto women’s rights, including those related to
reproduction, family, sexuality, and the workplace.
Selective Exposure: Phenomenon that holds that audience members prefer to arguments in line
with their preexisting beliefs.
“The Seven Sisters”: A group of the oldest, most prominent women’s magazines, launched in
the late 1800s and early 1900s. These magazines include Better Homes and Gardens, Family
Circle, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook, Women’s Day, and the nowdefunct McCall’s.
Social Cognitive Theory: Posited by Albert Bandura, this theory suggests that positive
reinforcements delivered to media characters can increase the likelihood of learning or adopting
praised behavior.
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Social Comparison Theory: A theoretical proposition that individuals have a natural drive to
compare themselves with others for self-evaluation purposes and to understand the social
standards that exist
Social Identity: Self-concept that is based on group membership and the emotional attachments
associated with that membership.
Social Learning Theory: This theory suggests that viewers, especially children, will model the
behaviors of television characters after observing them over time, just as they would by
observing parents or other children.Socialization: Processes in which individuals, beginning at
an early age and continuing throughout their lives, learn about societal norms, values, and
beliefs.
Socio-economic class: Stratification based on social background and income level of
individuals.
Stereotype: Beliefs about characteristics or attributes of a social group.
Supercrip: A derogatory term referring to individuals with disabilities portrayed in the mass
media as having heroic and extraordinary abilities.
T
Tejano: Mexican-American pop music with polka and folk influences. This music may contain
an accordion mixed with electronic synthesized instruments.
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Telenovela: Latin American melodramatic television series. Often aired daily like a U.S. soap
opera.
Third Wave Feminism/Post Feminism: Refers to the feminist activity of the 1990s and the
2000s, and is marked by social activism, though in a less directed way. Third wave feminism
encourages personal choices, empowerment, inclusivity, and individuality.
Transgendered: People who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or
present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.
Transsexual: A person who changes gender by undergoing surgical procedures.
Y
Yellow Peril: A phrase that is said to have originated in the 1800s with the growth in Chinese
laborers in the United States. It refers to the fear that the Chinese were taking jobs from white
laborers. Yellow-toned skin color was tied to the idea of terror in this phrase.