Description
Book SynopsisDoes exposure to media violence make us more violent? Do stereotypes in the media affect the way we see different social groups? Do media institutions play any role in social change?
Media Effects is a concise introduction which studies the ways in which media use affects society. James Shanahan explores how researchers and society became interested in media effects, outlines the important developments in the field, and looks at how research on narrative is playing a progressively important role in revealing what we know. The book also provides a timely interweaving of different perspectives, ranging from concerned and critical voices within media studies to quantitative psychological approaches which tend to be more sceptical about powerful media effects.
Concise and authoritative,
Media Effects is the go-to text for students and scholars getting to grips with this fascinating and important topic.
Trade Review"James Shanahan provides a compelling new map for well-trodden ground, theory and research on media effects. His book is impressively wide-ranging at the same time that it coalesces into sharp focus. I was excited to find new synergies, new insights, and new possibilities for explorations of the ways that the media shape individuals and the wider social world."
—Erica Scharrer, University of Massachusetts
"Too rarely do prominent scholars take the time to pause and take stock of their own academic field. Media Effects is a rare exception. Jim Shanahan offers us his very nuanced and compelling editorial take on almost a century of media effects research that has hopefully learned from its own past. It is particularly refreshing to have one of the eminent media effects researchers of our time help us to separate signal from noise in this rapidly growing field of research."
—Dietram Scheufele, University of Wisconsin
