1st Edition

Social and Cultural Aspects of Vcr Use

    232 Pages
    by Routledge

    232 Pages
    by Routledge

    First Published in 1990. Although commercially available in the United States for more than a decade, videocassette recorder (VCR) sales continue to rise. This volume contains some of writing about video. Although several of the chapters continue to address the very important questions raised in the previous two generations of VCR research, the authors here have sought to explore how the VCR fits into a larger social and cultural framework.

    Contents: J.R. Dobrow, Introduction. Part I:The Relationship of VCRs to Other Media Industries: Competition, Cooperation, and Confusion. E. Secunda, VCRs and Viewer Control Over Programming: An Historical Perspective. M. Komiya, B. Litman, The Economics of the Prerecorded Videocassette Industry. B.C. Klopfenstein, Audience Measurement in the VCR Environment: An Examination of Ratings Methodologies. Part II:The Relationship of VCRs to Theoretical Frameworks: Testing, Extending, or Maintaining Existing Media Theories. C.A. Lin, Audience Activity and VCR Use. K.K. Massey, S.J. Baran, VCRs and People's Control of Their Leisure Time. M. Morgan, J. Shanahan, C. Harris, VCRs and the Effects of Television: New Diversity or More of the Same? J.D. Straubhaar, Context, Social Class and VCRs: A World Comparison. Part III:The Relationship of VCRs to Individual Expression, Collective Identity, and Social Patterns. K.E. Heintz, VCR Libraries: Opportunities for Parental Control. A.B. Jordan, A Family Systems Approach to the Use of the VCR in the Home. J.R. Dobrow, The Rerun Ritual: Using VCRs to Re-View. L.J. Vale, Captured on Videotape: Camcorders and the Personalization of Television.

    Biography

    Julia R. Dobrow College of Communication, Boston University.

    "...a must-read for anyone studying the VCR and is recommended to anyone seeking to explore communication technology within theoretical contexts."
    Journalism Quarterly

    "In 11 high-quality chapters, this book skillfully and provocatively explores what Dobrow calls the `relationships' of the VCR to other media industries, to various theoretical frameworks, and to individual patterns of behavior and video use."
    Journal of Communication