Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment and Future

by Stanley J. Baran, Dennis K. Davis

This textbook provides a comprehensive, historically based, authoritative introduction to mass communication theory. It is clearly written with examples, graphics, and other materials to illustrate key theories. It traces the emergence of two main bodies of mass communication theory; social and behavioral and critical and cultural, providing many examples of each and an in-depth discussion of the strengths and limitations of these two types of theory.The book emphasizes that media theories are human creations that typically are intended to address specific problems or issues.The books contextual information about the motives of theorists and the problems/issues they address make it easier for students to learn theory.

Genres: Grad School

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[D]

Main text for Advanced Media class

[Jodie]

Not bad for a textbook.

[Bakhtawer Zain]

it is helpful for me

[Clancy]

It's a textbook, so it was a slog to get through. But worthwhile.

I'm entering post-grad in a related, but still markedly different discipline, to that which I've studied and worked up until now.

This edition of the book covers, in easily understandable terms, all of the major theories and trends in communication s studies, since the discipline's inception. This history is obviously of great significance to any contemporary student in the field.

I can't comment on what may or may not have been addressed in the latest edition, out this year, but there are number of serious shortcomings here that I feel compelled to mention. The authors have limited understanding of contemporary digital technology, its terminology, its usage, and in many ways its place in contemporary society — even for the period in which this edition was published. While the final chapters address in detail the scholarly and theoretical developments concerning contemporary technology and its disruption and reshaping of communications in our time, their lack of familiarity and conversence results in a rather limited explanation of where the field is today.

Another bizarre oversight was to do with the impact of media violence on real-world behaviour. Despite every other section of the book openly discussing limitations in extrapolating research data (in this field of research) into declarative statements about the real world, this is seemingly abandoned when discussing this particular area of concern and research.

Despite these two limited, but significant problems, this book has been, and will be in future, massively useful and worthwhile to me.

[Gloria Fransisca Katharina]

Panduan penting untuk teori komunikasi massa.

[milz]

🤣

[Izzy]

i read for class. gives a good foundation for theories in research and writing. easy read.

[شمس]

it verey important

[Thanh]

Good book for advanced media class.

[03218839126]

want to know about definition

[Jefferson Denim]

Loved getting this general overview of Communication Theories