Mass-Media

We can scarcely afford to ignore the importance of the media in the contemporary world. For most people, the number of hours spent reading papers, watching tv or listening to the radio comes third after sleep and work. The media are a major source of information, of entertainment and – because of advertising – a major factor in economic development. Outstanding books have been written on film, television and newspapers, but the interaction between these media and their relation to society as a whole has been generally ignored. Mass-Media takes into account the whole system’ of information and entertainment and to define, by reference to current theory and to a number of case-studies, the conditions and prerequisites for an enquiry on the media and their different uses in societies. Mass Media examines how audiences develop, evaluates tastes and examines some of the major technical changes that have occurred in the last century. It considers the role of the media in entertainment and information, and explores how media empires are built and evolve.