Whether we are watching TV, surfing the Internet, listening to our iPods, or reading a novel, we are all engaged with media as a member of an audience. Despite the widespread use of this term in our popular culture, the meaning of the "audience" is complex, and it has undergone significant historical shifts as new forms of mediated communication have developed from print, telegraphy, and radio to film, television, and the Internet. Media Audiences explores the concept of media audiences from four broad perspectives: as "victims" of mass media, as market constructions & commodities, as users of media, and as producers & subcultures of mass media. The goal of the text is for students to be able to think critically about the role and status of media audiences in contemporary society, reflecting on their relative power in relation to institutional media producers.

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the complexity and diversity of audience studies in the advent of digital media. Details the study of audiences and how it is changing in relation to digital media Recognizes and appreciates valuable traditional approaches and identifies how they can be applied to, and evolve with, the changing media world Offers diverse perspectives from which being an audience, theorizing audiences, researching audiences, and doing audience research are approached today Argues that the field works best by identifying particular 'audience problems' and applying the best theories and research methods available to solving them Includes contributions from some of the most outstanding international scholars in the field

The relationship between the media and its audiences has always been a topic of research and debate. Media Audiences provides a comprehensive and succinct overview of the field of audience studies from the time of the printing press to an era characterized by online digital connectivity. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book offers a wealth of personal insight into the experience of undertaking audience research in order to illustrate the key methodological issues and challenges in the field. Addressing such topics as technologies, content and the people who are the subjects of audience research, the author challenges readers to think about the value of such research for themselves and for society at large. Comprehensive yet concise, this is essential reading for students of Media with an interest in audience studies.

This volume addresses ongoing debates in the field of audience research by exploring relevant conceptual and methodological issues concerning the systematic study of digital audiences.

The Routledge Companion to Media Audiences captures the ways in which audiences and audience researchers are adapting to emerging social, cultural, market, technical and environmental conditions. Bringing together 40 original essays, this anthology explores how our constantly changing encounters with media are complex, contradictory and increasingly commercialized in the modern world. Each specially commissioned chapter by both early-career and experienced international scholars surveys new conceptualizations and constitutions of audiences, and assesses key issues, themes and developments within the field. As such, this companion cements itself as an indispensable guide for students and researchers who seek a comprehensive overview and source of inspiration for a diverse range of topics in media audiences. The Routledge Companion to Media Audiences is an accessible, landmark tool which enhances our understanding of how media is utilized through advanced empirical research and methodological enquiry. It is a must-read for media studies, communication studies, cultural studies, humanities and social science scholars and students.

Advanced Studies in Media has been designed to offer a comprehensive and stimulating textbook for all students on advanced level media studies and communications studies courses.

In the digital age, numerous technological tools are available to enhance business processes. When these tools are used effectively, knowledge sharing and organizational success are significantly increased. Social Media Marketing: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice contains a compendium of the latest academic material on the use, strategies, and applications of social media marketing in business today. Including innovative studies on email usage, social interaction technologies, and internet privacy, this publication is an ideal source for managers, corporate trainers, researchers, academics, and students interested in the business applications of social media marketing.