An Introduction to Global Media for the Twenty-First Century provides
a thorough introduction to the field of global media today. The book
presents the key changes taking place as the global media landscape
evolves, and the main theories of the field, that explain these
developments.
Tracing, first, the formative development of an international and global
media landscape throughout the 20th century from the telegraph,
television and film export, and transnational television to the
Internet, the book then focuses on developments in the 21st century.
This includes: the digitization of the global media and communications
sector; the popularization of the Internet and digital infrastructure
such as the smartphone and platforms; the emergence of global online
media and services; the production and distribution of digital media
content; and the exploitation of user data. Case studies illustrate key
developments throughout the book.
The book shows how the field is characterized by a continuity of
critical concerns in relation to power, influence, and domination; media
user empowerment and exploitation; and social and sustainable
development and democratic conditions, as well as geopolitical shifts,
in a global context.