Preface

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The media are in a constant state of change, but in recent years, a larger shift has become visible. E-books are outselling print books on Amazon; digital album sales have shot up as CD sales decline; and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter reach hundreds of millions of users worldwide. As mass media converge, the newest devices multitask as e-readers, music players, Web browsers, TV and movie screens, gaming systems, and phones. In other words, the mass media world has really made the turn into digital technology.

Today’s students are experiencing the digital turn firsthand. Many now watch television shows on their own schedule rather than when they are broadcast on TV, stream hit singles rather than purchase full albums, and use their videogame consoles to watch movies and socialize with friends. But while students are familiar with the newest products and latest formats, they may not understand how the media evolved to this point; how technology converges text, audio, and visual media; what all these developments mean; and how they have transformed our lives. This is why we believe the critical and cultural perspectives at the core of Media and Culture’s approach are more important than ever. Media and Culture pulls back the curtain to show students how the media really work—from the historical roots and economics of each media industry to the implications of today’s consolidated media ownership to the details of their turn into the digital world. And by learning to look at the media—whether analog past, digital present, or converged future—through a critical lens, students will better understand the complex relationship between the mass media and our shared culture.

The ninth edition of Media and Culture confronts the digital realities of how we consume media now. To tie these developments together, new part openers offer an overview of the issues raised by converging media, accompanied by infographics with eye-catching statistics about how media consumption has changed in recent years, reflecting the power of technologies like DVRs, streaming radio, e-readers and digital companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google. New Past-Present-Future boxes offer perspective on where the media industries began, how they’ve evolved to where they are today, and where they might be headed next. And a brand-new Chapter 3, “Digital Gaming and the Media Playground,” addresses gaming’s newfound role as a mass medium.

Increased video game coverage is just one example of how Media and Culture addresses the way mass media are converging and changing: Consoles can play not just video games but movies, music, and streaming video; streaming music continues to impact the record industry’s profits; magazines and books have evolved for e-readers. Media and Culture tells all of these stories and more. Convergence happens even within Media and Culture itself; the ninth edition combines print and digital media into a single accessible package: We have expanded the book beyond the printed page with videos offering vivid insider perspectives on the mass media industries. These fully integrated videos from VideoCentral: Mass Communication, featured in the text and accompanied by discussion questions, offer additional material that expands on the print portion of the text.

Of course, Media and Culture retains its well-loved and teachable organization that gives students a clear understanding of the historical and cultural contexts for each media industry. Our signature approach to studying the media has struck a chord with hundreds of instructors and thousands of students across the United States and North America. We continue to be enthusiastic about—and humbled by—the chance to work with the amazing community of teachers that has developed around Media and Culture. We hope the text enables students to become more knowledgeable media consumers and engaged, media-literate citizens with a critical stake in shaping our dynamic world.