At last- an introduction to media theory which doesn't give you a headache! Virtually all students find media theory difficult both to understand and to apply; this book is intended to lighten their burden.

When first published, Marshall McLuhan's Understanding Media made history with its radical view of the effects of electronic communications upon man and life in the twentieth century.

The Second Edition of this book provides a comprehensive overview of the ways in which social theory has attempted to theorize the importance of the media in contemporary society. Understanding Media Cultures is now fully revised and takes account of the recent theoretical developments associated with New Media and Information Society, as well as the audience and the public sphere.

Media semiotics is a valuable method of focusing on the hidden meanings within media texts. This new edition brings Understanding Media Semiotics fully up to date and is written for students of the media, of linguistics and those interested in studying the ever-changing media in more detail. Offering an in-depth guide to help students investigate and understand the media using semiotic theory, this book assumes little previous knowledge of semiotics or linguistics, avoiding jargon and explaining the issues step by step. With in-depth case studies, practical accounts and directed further reading, Understanding Media Semiotics provides students with all the tools they need to understand semiotic analysis in the context of the media. Semiotic analysis is sometimes seen as complicated and difficult to understand; Marcel Danesi shows that on the contrary it can be readily understood and can greatly enrich students' understanding of media texts, from print media right through to the internet and apps.

`This book provides an extremely well written and informative introduction to the subject of media economics, characterized by clarity in the explanation of concepts or frameworks and by a balanced discussion for the respective positions in areas of debate' - Paul MacDonald, Roehampton Institute Understanding Media Economics provides a clear, precise introduction to the key economic concepts and issues affecting the media. The book: explains the fundamental concepts relevant to the study of media economics; considers the key industrial questions facing the media industries today; relates economic theory to business practice; covers a wide range of media activity - advertising, television, film, print media, and new media; and looks at the impact of economics on public policy. Understanding Media Economics offers a stimulating perspective on the contemporary media environment. This book will be an essential purchase for all students of the media and mass communication.

Understanding Media Users: From Theory to Practice focuses on the blurred concept of the “active audience” at the core of media studies. examines the relationship between media and audiences by one of the world’s leading media scholars provides a history of media effects’ and an overview of the current analytical approaches that constitute media reception theory charts some of the most important interfaces of media reception and interaction - TV, film, the Internet, advertising, journalism, and tourism studies concludes with additional insights into the future of media reception in a global age

Why do we understand media the way we do? In their simplest forms, media are means of communication and instruments of human creativity. But on another level, media are powerful technologies that govern how we think and act in the world, and they can even take on a sinister character, with media conglomerates working in opposition to freedom of information. Dominic Boyer grapples with these complexities in Understanding Media, where he questions what our different ways of engaging media actually tell us about media, how we relate to information, and about ourselves. Understanding Media explores, in a serious yet entertaining way, our common habits of thinking about the presence and significance of media in our lives. Offering analysis of the philosophical and social foundations of contemporary media theory as well as everyday strategies of knowing media, it addresses the advantages and limitations of different ways of understanding media. Finally, Boyer reflects on how we can know media better than we do.

Media Theory for A Level provides a comprehensive introduction to the 19 academic theories required for A Level Media study. From Roland Barthes to Clay Shirky, from structuralism to civilisationism, this revision book explains the core academic concepts students need to master to succeed in their exams. Each chapter includes: • Comprehensive explanations of the academic ideas and theories specified for GCE Media study. • Practical tasks designed to help students apply theoretical concepts to unseen texts and close study products/set texts. • Exemplar applications of theories to set texts and close study products for all media specifications (AQA, Eduqas, OCR and WJEC). • Challenge activities designed to help students secure premium grades. • Glossaries to explain specialist academic terminology. • Revision summaries and exam preparation activities for all named theorists. • Essential knowledge reference tables. Media Theory for A Level is also accompanied by the essentialmediatheory.com website that contains a wide range of supporting resources. Accompanying online material includes: • Revision flashcards and worksheets. • A comprehensive bank of exemplar applications that apply academic theory to current set texts and close study products for all media specifications. • Classroom ready worksheets that teachers can use alongside the book to help students master essential media theory. • Help sheets that focus on the application of academic theory to unseen text components of A Level exams.

Written by two of the field's most eminent experts, this exciting new introduction to mass media makes connections between communication research and the reality of the media industry. Understanding Media in the Digital Age shows readers how to navigate the world of traditional and new media while fostering an understanding of mass communication theory, history, active research findings, and professional experience.

This book offers students a comprehensive, theoretical, and practical guide to communication theory. Croucher defines the various perspectives on communication theory—the social scientific, interpretive, and critical approaches—and then takes on the theories themselves, with topics including interpersonal communication, organizational communication, intercultural communication, persuasion, critical and rhetorical theory and other key concepts. Each theory chapter includes a sample undergraduate-written paper that applies the described theory, along with edits and commentary by Croucher, giving students an insider’s glimpse of the way communication theory can be written about and applied in the classroom and in real life. Featuring exercises, case studies and keywords that illustrate and fully explain the various communication theories, Understanding Communication Theory gives students all the tools they need to understand and apply prominent communication theories.