Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Part I: Introduction
Chapter 1: Media/Society in a Digital World
Models of Communication Media
A Model of Media and the Social World
Applying the Model: Civil Rights in Two Media Eras
Part II: Technology
Chapter 2: The Evolution of Media Technology
The History of Media Technology
Technological Determinism
Part III: Industry
Chapter 3: The Economics of the Media Industry
Media Companies in the Internet Era
Changing Patterns of Ownership
Consequences of Conglomeration and Integration
The Effects of Concentration
The Impact of Advertising
Chapter 4: Political Influence on Media
Free Speech to Free Markets: The Evolution of U.S. Regulatory Policy
Regulation in International Perspective
Competing Interests and the Regulation Debate
Regulating Access and Distribution
Informal Political, Social, and Economic Pressure
Chapter 5: Media Organizations and Professionals
The Limits of Economic and Political Constraints
Decision Making for Profit: Imitation, Hits, and Stars
The Organization of Media Work
Occupational Roles and Professional Socialization
Norms on the Internet, Newer Media, and Newer Organizations
Part IV: Content: Media Representations of The Social World
Chapter 6: Media and Ideology
Theoretical Roots of Ideological Analysis
News Media and the Limits of Debate
Movies, the Military, and Masculinity
Television, Popularity, and Ideology
Rap Music as Ideological Critique?
Advertising and Consumer Culture
Chapter 7: Social Inequality and Media Representation
Comparing Media Content and the “Real” World
The Significance of Content
Race, Ethnicity, and Media Content: Inclusion, Roles, and Control
Sexual Orientation: Out of the Closet and into the Media
Part V: Users
Chapter 8: Audiences and Creators
The Active Audience: Balancing Agency and Structure
Decoding Meanings and Social Position
The Social Context of Media Use
The Limits of Interpretation
Content Creation and Distribution
Chapter 9: Media Influence
Learning from Media Effects Research
Early Works: Establishing the Agenda
Highlighting Media Influence
The Mediatization of Politics
Digital Dilemmas: Online Media Influence
Part VI: Afterword
Chapter 10: Globalization and the Future of Media
The Global Media Industry
Interpreting Global Media Content
The Ubiquity of Change and the Future of Media
References
Index