Routledge

Preface

Welcome to the third edition of Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Media Today stems from my concern that students in the introductory course need to be exposed to a fuller, more realistic view of the exciting, changing world of media in the new century. This innovative and up-to-date third edition reveals the forces that guide the creation, distribution, and exhibition of media systems; places the internet and digital media as organic parts of those media systems; and actively challenges students to see and hear their favorite media products in genuinely new ways.

A CUTTING-EDGE, REAL WORLD APPROACH TO STUDYING MASS COMMUNICATION

Media Today is the product of over three decades of teaching the introductory course, talking to colleagues around the country about course trends and issues, and writing about mass media industries and issues in the scholarly and popular press. The hope is that readers will become critical, media literate consumers of mass media and, if they go on to work in mass media industries, more alert, sensitive practitioners. The book presents a cutting-edge, real world approach to the contemporary media system and its issues without wrenching the instructor from the familiar flow of topics in the basic course.

The third edition of Media Today is built around four distinct concepts:

  • A media systems approach
  • Unique insights into media trends
  • Emphasis on the centrality of digital convergence
  • A media literacy goal

Let's take a look at each:

A Media Systems Approach

Unlike other texts for the introductory course, the third edition of Media Today takes a media systems approach out of the conviction that the best way to engage students is to reveal the forces that guide the creation, distribution and exhibition of news, information, entertainment, education, and advertising with media systems. Then, once they begin to understand the ways these systems operate, students will be able to interact with the media around them in new ways.

The key to this unique approach is this: What fundamentally separates mass communication from other forms of communication is neither the size of the audience (it could be large or small) nor the use of technology (mediated communication can be mass or interpersonal). Rather, what distinguishes mass communication is the industrialized, or mass production, process that is involved in creating and circulating the material. It is this industrial process that generates the potential for reaching millions (even billions) of diverse anonymous people at around the same time (say, through televising the Olympic games). The third edition of Media Today uses this production-based approach to scrutinize the media, in order to show students how the industrial nature of the process is central to the definition of mass communication.

The text introduces the media as an interconnected system of industries-not as totally separate from one another. Of course, an introductory text can't begin with a sophisticated exploration of boundary blurring. Students have to first understand the nature of the mass communication process. They must become aware that taking a mass communication perspective on the world means learning to see the interconnected system of media products that surrounds them every day in new ways.
Chapters 1 through 4 introduce this notion of interconnected news as they explore the nature of the mass communication process, the business of media, society's formal and informal controls on media, and research on media effects and culture. Chapters 7 through 16 emphasize this industrial process, beginning with an overview of each industry, and then moving through production, distribution and exhibition, taking time to discuss relevant issues and controversies along the way.

Unique Insights Into Media Trends

Chapter 5: A World of Blurred Media Boundaries is unique among introductory media texts, and introduces students top the general media environment by taking a close look at the six trends that are guiding today's media environment:

  • Media fragmentation
  • Audience segmentation
  • Distribution of products across media boundaries
  • Globalization
  • Conglomeration
  • Digital convergence

Chapter 6: Understanding Cross-Media Strategies builds upon students' new understanding of these six guiding trends through vivid case studies that examine how three of the largest media firms-News Corporation, Disney, and Google-are responding to these trends across media, and how their strategies are influencing all media industries. Students are then equipped with the media literacy skills and knowledge about the "big picture" to consider and explore eleven individual media industries-from books (Chapter 7) to public relations (Chapter 16).

Emphasis on the Centrality of Digital Convergence

This edition of Media Today takes full account of one of the most important developments of our time: the rise of digital media, including the internet, video games, MP3 players, and mobile phones, and their convergence-that is, their interconnection and blurring-with each other and with traditional mass media such as newspapers, magazines, and analog television. It used to be that an introductory mass communication text could nod to new-media developments by concentrating them in a chapter on the internet and maybe one on video games. That is no longer enough.

It is today simply impossible to write about workings of the newspaper, television, magazine, recording, movie, television, advertising, and public relations industries without taking into account fundamental changes being wrought by websites, blogs, email, MP3 files, and multimedia streams. Consequently, the reader will find that every chapter incorporates digital-media developments into the main flow of the material.

Chapter 1: Understanding Mass Media and the Importance of Media Literacy announces from its very first line-"Your TV is ringing"- that this book will cover a wide variety of media in ways that highlight the clash between the new and the old. Chapter 2: Making Sense of the Media Buisness's introduction to the business aspects of the media shows how internet activities--like those involved with broadcast television and newspapers--can be illuminated through the categories of production, distribution, and exhibition. Chapter 3: Formal and Informal Controls on Media Content's discussion of formal and informal controls on media content, and Chapter 4: Making Sense of Research on Media Effects and Media Culture's discussion of the history of media research on key social issues, cover topics related to the internet and other digital vehicles alongside topics relating to traditional media. Chapter 5: A World of Blurred Media Boundaries' introduction to the blurring of media boundaries and Chapter 6: Understanding the Strategies of Media Giants's close examination of the cross-media strategies of major media firms place digital changes at the center of corporate activities-developments that Chapter 6 underscores with a section devoted to Google's activities on the web and across many other platforms.

This emphasis on the centrality of digital convergence is carried through each of the eleven chapters on the individual media industries (Chapters 7 through 16). Chapter 8: The Newspaper Industry introduces students to the opportunities and challenges of the online, on-mobile, 24/7 organizational environment that has been emerging. Similarly, much of Chapter 11: The Recording Industry centers on the transformation that is taking place around digital music. Chapter 14: The Internet and Videogame Industries describes unique characteristics of the web domain and of the digital-gaming environment.

A Media Literacy Goal

The overarching goal of the third edition of Media Today is to help students become media-literate members of society. Being media literate involves applying critical thinking skills to the mass media, and finding meanings beneath the surface of movies, ads, and other types of content. It also involves reasoning clearly about controversies that may involve the websites students use, the mobile devices they carry, the TV shows they watch, the music they hear, the magazines they read, and much more. It means becoming a more aware and responsible citizen-parent, voter, worker-in our media-driven society.

The aim of Media Today, third edition, is to help students become critical consumers who seriously examine the mass media's roles in their lives and in the greater culture, without making them totally cynical and distrustful of all mass media. The text helps students think in an educated manner about the forces that shape the media and their relationships with them so that they will become media literate citizens who are:

  • Knowledgeable about the influences that guide media organizations
  • Up-to-date on political issues relating to the media
  • Sensitive to the ethical dimensions of media activities
  • Knowledgeable about scholarship regarding media effects

Media Today encourages and develops these skills and attributes as it presents students with a realistic, cutting-edge picture of the changing media world in the new century. It reinforces and develops student media literacy skills in every chapter of the text, through unique chapter-ending sections applying media literacy to the issues of the chapter.

MEDIA TODAY'S FEATURES

A number of valuable features-including boxes and end-of-chapter materials-appear in each chapter to enhance students' exploration and enjoyment of the third edition of Media Today.

Engaging, Up-to-Date Feature Boxes Provide Students Perspective and Interest

These 65 boxed features have been completely updated throughout the book to address the latest issues, trends, and developments in today's media environment. Topics include controversies in video game ratings systems (WorldView box, Chapter 3), advertising on social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com (Culture Today box, Chapter 6), digital television conversion (Culture Today box, Chapter 13), the rising tide of celebrity journalism (Culture Today box, Chapter 16), and much, much more.

[New!] Culture Today boxes: explore current, often controversial issues in today's media-rich environment. Boxes encourage a media literacy approach by asking students to consider the role that mass media plays in shaping and reflecting our culture.

[Updated!] Critical Consumer boxes: challenge students to think critically about controversies they encounter in the films and TV shows they watch, the music they listen to, and the books, newspapers, and magazines they read. Boxes prompt students to explore the effects and implications of mass media on individuals and on society as a whole.

[Updated!] Tech & Infrastructure boxes: help students demystify mass media technologies by explaining how they work, helping students understand their role in the production, distribution, and exhibition of content across media outlets and around the world.

[Updated!] WorldView boxes: focus on the global aspects of mass media systems and provide an up-to-date, international perspective on the availability and social implications of media throughout the world.

[Updated!] Is It Ethical? boxes: use vivid, current, real-world examples to discuss issues of ethics in increasingly competitive industry environments.

[Updated!] Media Profile boxes: take an in-depth look at biographies of media people-both historical and current-with a special emphasis on diversity. Boxes feature profiles of media practitioners, critics, institutional leaders, and others.

[Updated!] Media Research boxes: introduce students to practical aspects of real-world media research and discuss the impact of research findings. Emphasis is placed on the importance and influence of historical and ongoing media research.

Rich and Diverse Chapter-Ending Materials and Exercises Give Students an Opportunity to Test and Explore What They've Learned
These valuable end-of-chapter materials are designed to challenge students to think critically and to build their media literacy skills.

[Updated!] Questions for Critical Thinking and Discussion: challenge students to consider the "big picture" impact of what they've learned in each chapter and to apply their knowledge to contemporary debates about the media.

[New!] Questions for Constructing Media Literacy: ask students to think about how THEY use the media.

[New!] Case Studies: ask students to research the media they consume regularly in their everyday lives (say, for instance a magazine of their choosing), exploring in-depth how mass media moves through the production, distribution, and exhibition processes.

[Updated!] Online Chapter Review and Study Guide: provides students with a way to recap what they've read in a chapter, or to review for an upcoming exam.

[New!] Internet Resources: connect students to relevant websites to guide them to learn more about the topics discussed in each chapter.

[Updated!] Key Terms: highlight the important terms introduced in each chapter, which can also be found in the marginal glossary, or reviewed through interactive flash cards on the Media Today student website.

MEDIA TODAY'S ANCILLARY PACKAGE

A full array of new ancillary materials supplementing these book-based features-including a companion DVD and rich online resources for instructors and students--make teaching the course, and being a student in it, especially rewarding.

[For Students:] Student Website at www.routledge.com/textbooks/mediatoday: The student website features content-rich assets to help students expand their knowledge, update their text, study for exams, and more! Features include:

  • Dynamic self-quizzes for each book chapter: help students test their knowledge and prepare for exams.
  • Interactive Key Terms flashcards: provide students with a fun way to review important terms and definitions.
  • Chapter summaries and study guides: recap the key points and themes of each chapter.
  • Study Podcasts audio chapter summaries: allow students to recap each chapter and study on the go! These free podcasts can be downloaded directly from the Media Today website and are playable on any MP3 audio device.
  • Media Today internship and career guide: offers students information and job listings to get started in a career in media.
  • Internet Resources: direct students to key media websites for further study and the latest news on media industries.
  • Regularly updated author blog Media Today and Tomorrow: connects students to the most recent developments, controversies, and trends in mass media, and offers a forum for critical discussion with the author.

[For Instructors:] Instructors Web Site at www.routledge.com/textbooks/mediatoday: The password protected instructor provides complete instructor support in the form of:

  • Complete, online, and downloadable Instructor's Manual: written by Harry Haines of Trinity University, (both in PDF and Word Formats) summarizes key learning objectives of each chapter and provides a rich selection of website features content-rich assets to help students expand their knowledge, update their text, study for exams, and more!
  • Extensive test bank: provides multiple choice, true false, and fill-in-the-blank questions for exams for each chapter.
  • PowerPoint presentations: offer lecture outlines for each chapter, along with a set of slides for every figure in the text.
  • Regularly updated author blog Media Today and Tomorrow: suggests new lecture starters and classroom discussion topics pulled from today's media headlines.

Media Today Companion DVD:

Packaged with every copy of Media Today, the companion DVD includes audio and video examples keyed to each chapter of the book. Historical clips-including early sound recordings, silent films, and television-provide rich background context and illuminate examples discussed in the text, while excerpts from critical documentaries about the media produced by the Media Education Foundation allow students to see media literacy in action.

Key Readings in Media Today (ISBN 13: 978-0-415-99205-3): Edited by Brooke Erin Duffy and Joseph Turow, this exciting new student-friendly anthology brings together 32 of the most important historical and contemporary writings on media, technology, and culture to help students make sense of the rapidly changing media environment. Designed to supplement Media Today and enrich students' understanding of key issues and controversies in 21st-century media, Key Readings in Media Today presents works of media criticism drawn from the academic and popular press on each of the media industries profiled in Media Today. This anthology can be packaged with Media Today or purchased separately.