McQuail's Theory of Mass Communication - (Fourth Edition)

Author: (English) McGuire, Cui Baoguo, Li Kun (translators)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Based on recent theoretical research and the rapid transformation of media itself, this revised and expanded edition updates the content of the previous version. Since the last edition was published, especially as we entered the new century, I have been puzzled by the possibility that certain concepts and thinking about mass communication might be gradually becoming outdated. Since the creation of media, both the times and the media itself have undergone tremendous changes. On the other hand, during the period we were writing the fourth edition, mass media were once again used by the government to support military actions based on uncertain judgments, justice, and public support. These effective propaganda wars have not differed greatly in nature from many 20th-century propaganda wars. As "new media" begin to demonstrate their economic potential, "old" media based on media groups are increasingly actively acquiring "new media" and striving to integrate them into the existing global media system. The term "mass communication" may have gradually faded and carry a "modernist" connotation, but in fact, the significance it represents has not changed much—it has only become broader and more complex.