Table of Contents

List of Exhibits Preface Acknowledgments Part I. Media/Society 1. Media and the Social World The Importance of Media The Rise of Mass Media Media and Society A Sociology of Media A Model of Media and the Social World Applying the Model: A Civil Rights Movement Conclusion Part II. Production: The Media Industry and the Social World 2. The Economics of the Media Industry Changing Patterns of Ownership Consequences of Conglomeration and Integration The Effects of Concentration Mass Media for Profit The Impact of Advertising Conclusion 3. Political Influence on Media The Case of "Pirate Radio" Common Features of Media Regulation Debates The "First Freedom" The "Public Interest" and the Regulation Debate Regulating Media Content and Distribution Informal Political, Social, and Economic Pressure Conclusion 4. Media Organizations and Professionals The Limits of Economic and Political Constraints Decision Making for Profit: Imitation, Hits, and Stars The Organization of Media Work The Rise of User-Generated Content Occupational Roles and Professional Socialization Norms on the Internet, New Media, and New Organizations Conclusion Part III. Content: Media Representations of the Social World 5. Media and Ideology What Is 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 Advertising and the Globalization of Culture Conclusion 6. 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 Gender and Media Content Class and the Media Sexual Orientation: Out of the Closet and Into the Media? Conclusion Part IV. Audiences: Meaning and Influence 7. Media Influence and the Political World Media and Political Elites Media and Individual Citizens Media and Social Movements The Internet and Political News Politics and Entertainment Media Global Media, Global Politics Conclusion 8. Active Audiences and the Construction of Meaning The Active Audience Meanings: Agency and Structure Decoding Media and Social Position The Social Context of Media Use Active Audiences and Interpretive "Resistance" The Pleasures of Media Conclusion 9. Media Technology The Nature of Media Technology Technological Determinism and Its Limits The Social Construction of Media Technologies How Media Technology Matters New Media Technology and Social Forces The Threat to Privacy: The Expansion of Behavioral Targeting In Search of an Audience: The Long Tail and the Fragmentation of Media Using New Technologies Conclusion Part V. Globalization and the Future 10. Media in a Changing Global Culture What Is Globalization? The Global Media Industry Global Media Content Global Media Consumption: Limits of the "Global Village" Regulating Global Media Afterword: The Ubiquity of Change and the Future of Media Appendix: Selected Media-Related Internet Resources References Index About the Authors

About the Author

David Croteau taught about the sociology of media as an Associate Professor (retired) in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of Politics and the Class Divide: Working People and the Middle-Class Left and co-author, with William Hoynes, of Experience Sociology. William Hoynes is Professor of Sociology and former Director of the Media Studies Program at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he teaches courses on media, culture, and social theory. He is the author of Public Television for Sale: Media, the Market, and the Public Sphere and co-author, with David Croteau, of Experience Sociology. Stefania Milan (stefaniamilan.net) holds a Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute, Italy. She has taught courses on global media and democracy, communications governance, and technology and society at several European universities. She has published widely on social movement media and participatory governance.

Reviews

"Media/Society provides a conceptually clear, substantive guide to the study of mass communication and society. The text helps students develop a critical under-standing of the interplay between media industries, social and economic institutions, media con-tent produced, and the audience. Media/Society encourages students to become more thoughtful consumers of media and prepares them to engage in informed discussions about media practices and policy." -- Christine Bachen 20110701 "This text does a wonderful job of presenting the history of media, the print medium discussion is also excellent. It is well written and examines the media from all angles (technology, history, audiences and social influences). The text also provides the best coverage on the creation of television news and how news has been impacted by media ownership and conglomeration that I have reviewed." -- Donna Goyer 20110701 "I think the strength of this textbook emerges from the general vision shared by the authors, their ability to provide excellent examples, and their engaging writing style. This book is valuable, because it helps reorient readers in their thinking about media industries; the book's emphasis on media as a social institution is especially relevant to departments con-cerned about the power relationships between media and political institutions. The book is appli-cable to majors preparing for careers in media industries and to the general student whose media literacy is crucial to citizenship." -- Harry Haines 20110701 "Excellent overview of the mass media from a sociological perspective. It is balanced, thorough, and clearly written. Everything you would want in a textbook on the subject. Also reasonably priced...The best media sociology textbook available." Previously used: Durham & Kellner: Media and Cultural Studies: Key Works -- Vincent Carducci "I used this title since 2006 (3rd edition), and I designed my course Media and Society based on this text." -- Viera Lorencova