Media Change

Explores the multifaceted dynamics of media change across technologies and societies

Media change is constant, but it is rarely straightforward. While some shifts in the media landscape are rapid and transformative, others unfold slowly, unevenly, or even stall and reverse. Media Change: Contemporary Cases, Consequences, and Conceptualizations examines this complexity through a series of contemporary, self-contained case studies. Each of the nine core chapters explores a specific example of media transformation, such as AI-driven content production, evolving regulatory landscapes, and media business models. Situating media change within broader historical and conceptual frameworks, Neil Thurman reveals how today’s most pressing issues in media are part of longer trajectories of change, shaped by forces such as technological innovation, economic pressures, and cultural resistance.

Drawing on an original “6 Rs” framework—revolution, remediation, resistance, rapidity, regulation, and reversals—Thurman provides a systematic yet accessible way of thinking about how and why media change occurs. By combining rich empirical evidence with a long historical view, the book illuminates the social, industrial, and technological drivers of transformation and their impact on media practices, products, and audiences. Its nine case studies not only offer depth on contemporary issues, but also prompt reflection on broader patterns of continuity and disruption in media systems.

Offering fresh insights into contemporary communication, Media Change:

• Balances global perspectives, drawing on both US and non-US examples
• Challenges common assumptions about the evolving media environment
• Demonstrates how change can be incomplete, uneven, and historically contingent
• Includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter to stimulate critical reflection
• Combines conceptual innovation with extensive empirical evidence

Written in a clear and accessible style, Media Change: Contemporary Cases, Consequences, and Conceptualizations is an essential resource for those seeking to understand how media systems are transforming. Whether used in its entirety or as stand-alone chapters, it is ideal for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in media, communication, journalism, and cultural studies programs.