Christian Fuchs. 2024. Media, Economy and Society: A Critical Introduction. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN:978-1-032-48875-2 
(pbk), ISBN: 978-1-032-48876-9 (hbk), ISBN: 978-1-003-39120-3 (ebk).
German edition of this book
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003391203
Publisher’s page, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon.com, Indiebound, BetterWorldBooks
Inspection copy for classroom use or a review
This essential guide to the critical study of the media economy in society teaches students how to critically analyse the political economy of communication and the media.
The book introduces a variety of methods and topics, including the political economy of communication in capitalism, media concentration, advertising, global media and transnational media corporations, class relations and working conditions in the capitalist media and communication industry, the Internet and digital media, the information society and digital capitalism, the public sphere, Public Service Media, the Public Service Internet and the political economy of media management. Each chapter features a highly accessible introduction, recommended readings and lots of practical exercises where you will apply the Political Economy approach to concrete examples and cases.
This will be an ideal textbook for a variety of courses relating to media and communication, including Media Economics; Political Economy of Communication; Media, Culture and Society; Critical Media and Communication Studies; Media Sociology; Media Management; and Media Business Studies.
“With clarity and thoroughness, Christian Fuchs succeeds brilliantly in guiding students through the fields of media economics and the political economy of the media. Covering the widest range of theoretical perspectives and substantive areas, from advertising to media management, from cultural labor to the public sphere, this book is essential reading for anyone who cares about the state of contemporary media”
— VINCENT MOSCO, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Queen’s University, Canada; author of the book “The Political Economy of Communication”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
Part I: Foundations
2. What is Political Economy?
3. What is Media Economics?
4. The Political Economy of Communication and the Media
5. The Critical Tradition in the Analysis of Media, Communication, Economy & Society
Part II: Applications
6. The Political Economy of Media Concentration
7. The Political Economy of Advertising
8. The Political Economy of Global Media
9. Media Work: The Political Economy of Cultural Labour in the Media Industry
10. The Political Economy of the Internet and Digital Media
11. The Political Economy of the Information Society and Digital Capitalism
12. The Political Economy of the Public Sphere and the Digital Public Sphere
13. The Political Economy of Public Service Media and the Public Service Internet
14. The Political Economy of Media Management