The Digital Difference: Media Technology and the Theory of Communication Effects

by W. Russell Neuman

The Digital Difference examines how the transition from the industrial-era media of one-way publishing and broadcasting to the two-way digital era of online search and social media has affected the dynamics of public life.

In the digital age, fundamental beliefs about privacy and identity are subject to change, as is the formal legal basis of freedom of expression. Will it be possible to maintain a vibrant and open marketplace of ideas? In W. Russell Neuman’s analysis, the marketplace metaphor does not signal that money buys influence, but rather just the opposite―that the digital commons must be open to all ideas so that the most powerful ideas win public attention on their merits rather than on the taken-for-granted authority of their authorship.

“Well-documented, methodical, provocative, and clear, The Digital Difference deserves a prominent place in communication proseminars and graduate courses in research methods because of its reorientation of media effects research and its application to media policy making.”
―John P. Ferré, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

384 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Peter]

The history of communication research being rooted in WWII was interesting, as were some of the parts on methods. People can interpret the same words, message, scenes very differently. This is known as polysemy, or many meanings. People don't just accept "messages" passively but actively shape them. There is 2 way ongoing communication with all media, especially in the digital age. Agenda setting by media channels intentionally and not, is an interesting way in which the topics and terms of discussion are narrowed–what's covered and how?

It would have been nice if he was clearer about how we can ensure that the best and most truthful ideas rise to the top in society.

[Miguel Caetano]

Recommended reading for anyone who thinks Communication Science is useless and plain old "common sense". As a matter of fact, I think this book constitutes a magnificent "call to arms" for the revitalization of Communication as a academic topic in the 21st Century. Human communication matters - now more than ever.