Media/Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media

by Shirley Biagi

Consistently praised for its engaging writing style, currency, and visual appeal, MEDIA/IMPACT introduces students to today's converged mass media-its industries and support industries, as well as the legal, ethical, social, global, and technological issues that accompany them. Emphasizing the impact of the media on individuals and society, Biagi grounds her discussion in the fact that the media are first and foremost in the business of making money, and provides concise histories of each industry before giving students an insider's look at what it's like to work in each industry. The new edition of this enduring bestseller offers several important new features, including a media literacy case study in each chapter; enhanced chapter review materials, including new Critical Questions; an extensive online media careers guide; and an entirely new collection of video clips with critical viewing questions.

Genres: School

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually pretty decent as far as text books go.

[Indira Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey guys, so I know this is not a "normal" novel, but I wanted to share my thoughts about this media book that I've read over this semester. Media/Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media by Shirley Biagi truly opened my eyes to how mass media operates and what their true goal is, cause it aint to keep it's readers/views infomed. But, I think we all have grasped that concept by now, lol. Anyway, I enjoyed most of the chapters that depicted the rise and falls of the eight media industries; books, newspapers, magazines, radio, recordings, movies, tv, and internet. Though, because I like history, i was rather intrigued by some of its content, but I am sure others in my class were bored to death...Moving on, in addition to describing the mass media industries and their role in the United States, the book also included information regarding advertising, public relations, news and info, social and political issues, laws and regulations, and ethics. Those last two chapters, whoa... heavy stuff. But I loved it. I think the laws and regulation was probably my favorite chapter in the entire book. Though, people dont seem to hold the law to the standards it ought to be. It's the same with ethics, even though technically those are "voluntary". Which translates to,you wont get sued, but your rep will be damaged. All in all, I enjoyed this, and even though it was a school book, I might have read it without it being assigned on a syllabus.