Which concept says the media moulds the audience's understanding of issues and people around them, rather than real life?

• A. Bardic function
• B. Cultivation differential
• C. Mainstreaming
• D. Resonance

Answer: (C)

This item is about how a steady diet of media messages can create a shared way of seeing the world among different people. Mainstreaming captures this idea: long-term media exposure, especially to television, can lead diverse audiences to adopt a similar set of views about issues and people, sometimes feeling more like the media’s portrayal than like real-life experience. That’s why it’s the best fit here—the focus is on a common, media-influenced understanding that crosses background differences.

The other terms aren’t as on target here. Bardic function isn’t a standard concept in this area. Cultivation differential refers to the gap between heavy and light viewers’ perceptions, not the broad convergence across all groups. Resonance involves amplification when personal experience aligns with media content, rather than the general moulding of widespread perception.