There have been seismic shifts in what constitutes (the) media in recent years with technological advances ushering in whole new categories of producers, consumers and modes of delivery. This has been reflected in the way media is studied with new theories, concepts and practices coming to the fore. Media Studies: The Basics is the ideal guide to this changing landscape and addresses core questions including: Who, or what, is the media? What are the key terms and concepts used in analysing media? Where have been the impacts of the globalization of media? How, and by whom, is media made in the 21st century? Featuring contemporary case studies from around the world, a glossary and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal introduction to media studies today.
It may seem obvious, but if you are going to attempt to condense an entire subject into one volume, you'd better be the kind of person that writes in an accessible but intelligent way about it...happily this book manages to be both accessible and intelligently written...Perhaps the most impressive thing about the book is that its structure reflects the difficulties of studying the media in the 21st century...the author is to be applauded for writing a book that acepts that in a world where the media has recently undergone some seismic shofts, media studies probably needs to undergo some too.Stephen Connolly, NATE Teaching English