Glossary

An avatar is a character that players control in a game.

Details that are interesting or add context but aren't essential to understanding the story.

Something that is suggested by a word but is not part of its literal definition

Using digital devices to keep tabs on someone all the time.

Conventions are accepted practices or rules in a medium or genre. Some conventions help convey meaning while others describe accepted practices in a genre.

Following people around online and offline and contacting them constantly.

Data brokers collect personal information in order to create profiles that they provide to advertisers and other third parties.

something that happens automatically, or unless you tell it not to

A major revision of a work. The first finished work is called the "first draft." The published work is called the "final draft."

the things that you are able to do with an app

Game mechanics are the specific actions, physical or mental, that players take to achieve the game goal.

The types or categories into which texts are grouped. For example, literary genres include: novel, short story, essay, poetry, and drama.

Influencers are people who promote products or services on social media. Students may be more famliar with the term "creator" which includes both influencers and people who make social media content but don't endorse products.

A style of writing used in journalism. It starts with the most essential and interesting facts, then information that readers are less likely to read.

A technique using contrast or contradiction for the purposes of humour or emphasis; for example, a statement that has an underlying meaning different from its literal or surface meaning.

The first two sentences of a news article. They grab the reader's attention and show why the story is newsworthy.

The Who, What, Why, When, Where and How of a news story.

A paper prototype is a drawing that shows howan app or program works. It includes all the features, and shows how they work and what happens when you use them.

A parasocial relationship is when you feel like you know someone you only know through media. People can form parasocial relationships with celebrities, influencers and even cartoon characters.

A platform is anything that lets you share content with other people. Social media and video apps are examples of platforms.

To quantify something means to describe it using numbers. For instance, degrees centigrate quantify temperature, so you can say exactly how hot or cold it is.

Rules of notice are the techniques, codes and conventions that media makers use to tell you what to notice and how to feel about what's happening.

Sarcasm is when you insult or criticize someone by saying something where the apparent meaning is different from its real meaning.

The use of irony, sarcasm, or other forms of humour to expose or criticize human folly or vice.

Two or more shots in a video that make up a distinct part of the narrative.

Stereotyping means portraying members of a particular group in just one or a small number of roles, treating all members of a group as being the same, or emphasizing the ways in which a group is different from the (presumed) audience