'In his beautifully balanced, clear and broad-ranging account of a fast-changing field, Paul Hodkinson has successfully brought together myriad perspectives with which to critically analyse today's media culture and media society.'– Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Media & Communication, LSE

Paul Hodkinson's bestseller is back, once again exploring the concepts and complexities of the media in an accessible, balanced and engaging style. Additions to the Second Edition include:

• A new chapter on advertising and sponsorship


• Extensive revision and updating throughout all chapters


• New material on technologies, censorship, online news, fan cultures and representations of poverty


• Greater emphasis on and examples of digital, interactive and mobile media throughout


• Fully reworked chapter on media, community and difference


• Up-to-date examples covering everything from social media, contemporary advertising, news events and mobile technologies, to representations of class, ethnicity and gender.

Combining a critical survey of the field with a finely judged assessment of cutting-edge developments, this Second Edition cements its reputation as the must-have text for any undergraduate student studying media, culture and society.