"Denis McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory is not just a seminal text in the study of media and society - it is a benchmark for understanding and appreciating the long and winding road people and their media have taken to get us here." - Mark Deuze, Indiana University and Leiden University "This is a unique work tested by time and generations of students around the world - North, South, East and West." - Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere "McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory continues to be the clearest and best introduction to this sprawling field." - Anders Hansen, University of Leicester With over 125,000 copies sold, McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory has been the benchmark for studying media and communication for more than 25 years. It remains the most authoritative and comprehensive introduction to the field and offers unmatched coverage of the research literature. It covers everything a student needs to know of the diverse forms of mass communication today, including television, radio, newspapers, film, music, the internet and other forms of new media. Denis McQuail shows that more than ever, theories of mass communication matter for the broader understanding of society and culture. Unmatched in coverage and used across the globe, this book includes: Explorations of new media, globalization, work, economy, governance, policy, media audiences and effects New boxed case studies on key research publications, to familiarize students with the critical research texts in the field Definitions, examples, and illustrations throughout to bring abstract concepts to life. McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory is the indispensable resource no student of media and communication studies can afford to be without.
This fully revised and updated edition provides a comprehensive, non-technical introduction to the range of approaches to understanding mass communication.
"Denis McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory is not just a seminal text in the study of media and society - it is a benchmark for understanding and appreciating the long and winding road people and their media have taken to get us here." - Mark Deuze, Indiana University and Leiden University "This is a unique work tested by time and generations of students around the world - North, South, East and West." - Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere "McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory continues to be the clearest and best introduction to this sprawling field." - Anders Hansen, University of Leicester With over 125,000 copies sold, McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory has been the benchmark for studying media and communication for more than 25 years. It remains the most authoritative and comprehensive introduction to the field and offers unmatched coverage of the research literature. It covers everything a student needs to know of the diverse forms of mass communication today, including television, radio, newspapers, film, music, the internet and other forms of new media. Denis McQuail shows that more than ever, theories of mass communication matter for the broader understanding of society and culture. Unmatched in coverage and used across the globe, this book includes: Explorations of new media, globalization, work, economy, governance, policy, media audiences and effects New boxed case studies on key research publications, to familiarize students with the critical research texts in the field Definitions, examples, and illustrations throughout to bring abstract concepts to life. McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory is the indispensable resource no student of media and communication studies can afford to be without.
This text is a companion to McQuail's Mass Communication Theory, but can be used independently. It is a resource of statements drawn from communication studies, media sociology and cultural studies.
The major textbook in communication theory. Denis McQuail provides a brisk, elegantly organized, and comprehensive overview of the ways in which mass communication has been viewed by social scientists and by practitioners. The wealth of thinking in the field; the enormous range of issues studied and questions raised; the proliferation of schools, approaches and tendencies: McQuail marshalls this welter of material into a clear, easy to follow textbook for students at all levels of communication studies. He reviews: ways in which the the mass media have been defined theories of their function and purpose views of the organizational structures and processes of mass media content analysis and the other techniques for interpreting the meaning of media content theories of what an audience is and what it does Cultivation theory, traditional sociology, classical marxism, the Frankfurt school, 'hegemony' theory, Soviet media theory, the uses and gratifications approach, development media theory, free press theory, organizational theory -- all these and much more -- are described and placed in their historical and scholarly context. McQuail's extensive references will guide anyone interested in mass communication to the key work in the field. Diagrams, a Media Theory Map, summaries, indexes and other features will further help new students to keep a hold on all the separate strands in the field. About the author: Denis McQuail is currently Professor of Mass Communication, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After graduating from Corpus Christi College, Oxford with a BA in Modern History and a Diploma in Public and Social Administration, he received a PhD in social studies from the University of Leeds. He has since been affiliated to the Television Research Unit, University of Leeds; the University of Southampton; and the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania. His major publications include: Television and the Political Image (with J Trenaman) 1961; Television in Politics: Its Use and Influence (with J G Blumler), 1968; Towards a Sociology of Mass Communications, 1968; Sociology of Mass Communication (editor) 1972; Communication, 1975; Review of Sociological Writing on the Press, 1976; Analysis of Newspaper Content, 1977; Communication Models for the Study of Mass Communication (with Sven Windahl), 1982. Why this textbook? Why choose this textbook for use in your courses over others that are available? McQuail has drawn on his own extensive teaching experience to make sure his book offers the following qualities and features: The frameworks: for ease of organization, McQuail arranges the theories of media effect processes, or mass media and social change in new, clarifying frameworks. He aims to present all the principal theories within a single integrative framework. Its range: McQuail's extraordinary feat of organization encompasses theories from all the principal approaches to communication from all over the world. His book will be useful in a variety of cultural and national settings. Its thoroughness: McQuail provides over 300 references to guide your students to the primary sources. Not only is each theory described, and its sources and histories plotted, but its implications and intellectual context are explored. Consensus theories are given equal weight with themore contentious, critical understandings. Controversy is faced, fairness maintained. Its currency: The most recent research is expressed in the form of theoretical propositions. New approaches are discussed that are not reviewed in other textbooks: a revision of the functional theory, the notion of emerging 'public definitions', and a revision of the 'four theories of the press'. Other unique features: A thorough review of theories of the audience. Questions of media power and normative theories of media are given a central place at various points. Professor Denis McQuail provides a thorough review of the history, structure, and processes of the mass media, and the views taken of them. The first chapter defines the terms and issues of mass media studies. It also traces the development of mass media since the first newspapers in the 17th century. McQuail notes the origins, typical forms, and applications of mass media at different times. He then provides a framework for understanding the different approaches to the study of mass media. Mass society theory, Marxist approaches of different types, message-centred theory, and theory of audience and effect are the perspectives reviewed. Chapter Three explores the ideological, political, and cultural contexts in which the mass media operates, and which define the media's functions. The institutional forms of mass communication are characterized in Chapter Four. In Chapter Five, the meaning of the information provided by the media is analyzed. Different kinds of content, such as news or fiction, are examined from different theoretical perspectives. Chapter Six describes alternative approaches to the study ofthe audience, the different aspects of audiences which they study, and the conclusions they have reached. Chapter Seven focusses on the study of the impact and effect of media. Different scientific approaches to this study are described, and the results of this research given. The final chapter looks at the lessons of mass communication study for issues of current concern such as international communication and new technological developments.
The word audience has long been familiar as the collective term for the "receivers" in the model of mass communication process (source, channel, message, receiver, effect). It is a term that is understood by media practitioners and theorists alike and has entered into everyday usage; however, there is much room for differences of meaning, misunderstandings, and theoretical conflicts. In Audience Analysis, author Denis McQuail provides a coherent and succinct account of the concept "media audience" in terms of its history and its place in present-day media theory and research. He describes and explains the main types of audience, alternative theories about the audience, and the main traditions and fields of audience research. This informative volume explains the contrast between social scientific and humanistic approaches and gives due weight to the view "from the audience," as well as the view "from the media." It summarizes key research findings and assesses the impact of new media developments, especially transnationalization and new interactive technology. Finally, the volume concludes with an evaluation of the continued relevance of the audience concept under conditions of rapid media change. Providing both an overview of past research and a guide to current thinking, Audience Analysis will be enlightening to academics and students in the fields of mass communication and media studies.
Presents the main existing models of the mass communications process which have been developed during the last thirty years, providing brief descriptions of the most significant concepts and ideas in the study of mass communication, using graphic and verbal models.
This exciting collection of papers represents some of the finest communications research published over the last decade. To mark the 20th anniversary of the European Journal of Communication, a leading international journal, the editors have selected 21 papers, all of which make significant and valuable interventions in the field of media and communications. The volume is prefaced with an introduction by the editors and will be a central research text for scholars in this field.
This book moves beyond the narrow focus of much of the work on media and cultural studies to examine the whole process of interaction between the media and the social world. Rejecting approaches which focus only on ownership or discourse or audience reception, this new book from the Glasgow Media Group, examines: promotional strategies; media production; representation and audience responses; as well as broader impacts on policy, culture and society. Using a detailed analysis of the struggle over representation during the AIDS crisis as point of departure, The Circuit of Mass Communication reveals the power of the media to influence public opinion, and the complex interaction between media coverage, audience response and contemporary power relations. Based on extensive empirical research, this book offers a range of challenging insights on media power, active audiences and moral panics.
What are the media's responsibilities? To whom are they accountable? Are they increasingly growing out of control? In the 21st century, our mass media are becoming more powerful and more difficult to hold to account, and attempts at control to prevent harm or make media more responsible are often viewed as infringements of market and media freedom. In this study, Denis McQuail identifies problematic trends and issues and outlines the principles underlying media regulation and accountability.
