メディアの理論―情報化時代を生きるために

by Fred Inglis

In this book Fred Inglis provides an account of the many theories which currently compete for attention in the field of public communication. Contending that the present state of the mass media can only be understood in terms of its past, Inglis gives a critical history of the media from the discovery of the phoneme alphabet to te development of satellite broadcasting. Central to this account is the communications revolution begun with Bell's telegraph in the 19th century, following the print revolution subsequent to the advent of literacy. Inglis reviews the theories which have attempted to grasp and comprehend this history, from the mass society theory of the Frankfurt Marxists to semiotics and discourse theory. He then turns to consider the place of the audience, whether viewer, reader or listener, in relation to this body of theory, analysing the pleasures and uses of the media and media technology. In a polemical conclusion, the author argues for a humane and democratic education in which an understanding of the media and its technology should play a crucial part - becoming, in fact, the necessary attribute of the "good citizen".

Tankobon Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Fred Inglis is Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Previously Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Warwick, he has been a member of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, Fellow-in-Residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, and Visiting Fellow Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, Canberra.

Reviews

[Batisse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am obviously politically beguiled, it comes as quite a shock. Much philosophy, thingamabob too. No writer's block.

[Diana180]

A worthwhile read, though it scores higher on memorable explanations than on precision.