The concept of "the media audience" is examined in this book in terms of its history and its place in present day media theory and research. It describes and explains the main types of audience, alternative theories about the audience, and the main traditions and fields of audience research, and looks at the contrast between the social scientific ......
"Media Violence and Aggression is a thoughtful and sophisticated work that dismantles the core assumptions of the media violence hypothesis piece by piece...This book makes several core contributions to the discussion on media violence effects above those seen in other critical works." -Christopher J. Ferguson, PsycCRITIQUES The authors of Media Violence and Aggression: Science and Ideology, Tom Grimes, James A. Anderson, and Lori Bergen, are determined to leave no stone unturned, no perspectives unexplored, no names left unnamed of those in the field with whom, on both empirical and theoretical grounds, they strenuously disagree. It is an engaging book that needed to be and is up close and personal. In so doing, they have produced what may be the most comprehensive critique and rebuttal to date of the omnipresent media-violence and aggression argument." -JOURNAL OF MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY Media Violence and Aggression: Science and Ideology provides a multimethod critique of the media violence/social aggression myth. It provides policy makers and students with information to understand why the violence/media aggression hypothesis does not explain or predict how most people react to what they see and hear in the media. Authors Tom Grimes, James A. Anderson, and Lori Bergen take the reader through a history of media effects research, pointing out where that research has made claims that go beyond empirical evidence. Key Features Dispels the media violence/social aggression myth: Through a multiple method analysis of the myth, the authors provide empirical evidence for their decoupling of media violence from social aggression. Illustrates how much of the media violence/social aggression equation derives from ideology: Taking a different perspective from most other books on media violence, this text shows how very easy-how almost imperceptible-it is to adopt an ideological perspective. Shows how the media violence/social aggression hypothesis conflicts with a range of established social science theory: The book examines why theories generated by media violence/social aggression advocates aren't compatible with other social science theories that explain human behavior (and why they must be compatible in order to achieve validity). Considers media effects for the general population and psychologically unwell people: The book explains that the clinical population's reactions to media violence are often improperly presumed to be the reaction of the general, psychologically well population. Argues that certain science practitioners view children as more psychologically vulnerable to media violence than they actually are: Children are surely more vulnerable to many social and environmental influences than adults, but the degree of media vulnerability is often overstated. Speaks directly to policy makers: This book helps policy makers sort through both the nature of the evidence they are presented with and the risks that such evidence poses to the public. Intended Audience This is an ideal text for graduate courses such as Mass Communication Theory, Media and Society, Media Effects, and Research Methods in Media in the departments of communication, media studies, journalism, sociology, cultural studies, and political science. It is also vital reading for scholars, researcher, and policy makers interested in media effects.
Picking up on some of the themes developed in his critically acclaimed book Understanding Audiences (SAGE, 2000), this new book on audience research focuses on qualitative methods and will draw upon students' own media experience. The book is divided into chapters that deal with audience research in terms of concepts and topics. Regarding concepts, Investigating Audiences is firmly grounded within interpretive approaches to studying viewers, readers and listeners. Further to this, the book looks at the different ways in which media influence can be accessed and the attendant methodological consequences. These issues are then applied to a survey of recent scholarship on a variety of topics such as violence, pornography, video gaming, and children and advertising. Investigating Audiences will be very useful for undergraduates in media studies/mass communications courses containing qualitative research components and dealing with cultural studies themes and approaches to audience studies.
How WSM put Nashville on the map of American entertainmentStarted by the National Life and Accident Insurance Company in 1925, WSM became one of the most influential and exceptional radio stations in the history of broadcasting and country music. WSM gave Nashville the moniker ''Music City USA'' as well as a rich tradition of music, news, and ......
Looks beyond television and film to literature and music to examine fans, their practices and their favorite texts. This work contains a selection of 25 essays that examine instances across the spectrum of modern cultural consumption from Karl Marx to Paris Hilton, Bach fugues to Bollywood cinema, and 19th-century concert halls to computer gaming.
Reisinger examines contemporary French society's relationship with violence in an era of increased media dominance. The study's innovative and interdisciplinary approach integrates media, cinema, and literary studies to analyze how crime news functions as a site of discursive struggle. By situating these crime stories in a larger historical and ......
Bringing together a range of renowned scholars in the field, this book examines eighteen key issues within contemporary media studies. Written in an accessible student-friendly style, Media Studies - Key Issues and Debates is an authoritative landmark text for undergraduate students. Each individual chapter begins with a concise definition of the concept(s) under investigation. This is followed by a 5,000 word discussion on the current state of play within research on the specific area. Chapters contain case-studies and illustrative materials from Europe, North America, Australasia and beyond. Each chapter concludes with annotated notes, which guide the student-reader in terms of future study. With a preface by Denis McQuail, contributors include Janet McCabe, John Corner, David Croteau, William Hoynes, Natalie Fenton, Jenny Kitzinger, Jeroen de Kloet, Liesbet van Zoonen, Sonia Livingstone and Greg Philo.
World Television: From Global to Local, a new assessment of the interdependence of television across cultures and nations brings together the most current research and theories on the subject. By examining recent developments in the world system of television as well as several theories of culture, industry, genre, and audience, author Joseph D. Straubhaar offers new insights into the topic. He argues that television is being simultaneously globalized, regionalized, nationalized, and even localized, with audiences engaging it at multiple levels of identity and interest; therefore the book looks at all these levels of operation. Key Features Draws upon both international communication and cultural studies perspectives: Presents a new model is presented that attempts to move beyond the current controversies about imperialism and globalization. Looks at historical patterns: Historical patterns across cultures and countries help compare where television has been and where it is going. Takes a contemporary focus: Uses of technology, flows and patterns of program development, genres of television, the interaction of producers and audiences, and patterns of audience choice among emerging alternatives are examined. Explores how the audience for these evolving forms of television is structured: The effects of these forces or patterns of television have on both cultural formations and individual identities are identified. Intended Audience This is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in Globalizatiion and Culture, Global Media, Television Studies, Television Criticism, and International Media.
World Television: From Global to Local, a new assessment of the interdependence of television across cultures and nations brings together the most current research and theories on the subject. By examining recent developments in the world system of television as well as several theories of culture, industry, genre, and audience, author Joseph D. Straubhaar offers new insights into the topic. He argues that television is being simultaneously globalized, regionalized, nationalized, and even localized, with audiences engaging it at multiple levels of identity and interest; therefore the book looks at all these levels of operation. Key Features Draws upon both international communication and cultural studies perspectives: Presents a new model is presented that attempts to move beyond the current controversies about imperialism and globalization. Looks at historical patterns: Historical patterns across cultures and countries help compare where television has been and where it is going. Takes a contemporary focus: Uses of technology, flows and patterns of program development, genres of television, the interaction of producers and audiences, and patterns of audience choice among emerging alternatives are examined. Explores how the audience for these evolving forms of television is structured: The effects of these forces or patterns of television have on both cultural formations and individual identities are identified. Intended Audience This is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in Globalizatiion and Culture, Global Media, Television Studies, Television Criticism, and International Media.