"Media involve religious dimensions and have become the religious "iconofiers" of our world. People increasingly use media for shaping their - religious - identity and their search with respect to questions of ultimate meaning. The author first provides a succinct overview of the context and implica
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tions of media culture and the recent changes in communication theory. Then, by analyzing the contents of a broad range of Church documents from the Catholic as well as the Protestant Churches and Ecumenical Organizations, she reflects on Christian policy views and identifies the main problems and opportunities in relating to media culture. Finally she stresses the urgency of genuine "art of dialogue" between Christian religion and media culture, based on a thorough analysis of the trends of the global media context as well as recent insights from audience research. She also argues a theological paradigm shift and the importance of ethical involvement by religions in the public sphere. This is a thoroughly researched, major contribution to religious commmunication theory." (CAMECO Update 4-2008)
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"Within media and cultural studies, the study of media texts is dominated by an exclusive focus on representation. This book adds long overdue attention to social interaction. The book is divided into two sections. The first outlines key theoretical issues and concepts, including informalisation, ge
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nre hybridisation, positioning, dialogism and discourse. The second is a sustained interrogation of social interaction in and around media. Re-examining issues of representation and interaction, it critically assesses work on the para-social and broadcast sociability, then explores distinct sites of interaction: production communities, audience communities and 'interactivity' with audiences." (Publisher description)
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"This book discusses the fundamental elements of media systems and shows how they are used in eight sample countries. Unlike other books, it is organized according to media elements, with comparative discussions of all eight countries within each chapter. This helps readers make connections and comp
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arisons between the countries and allows them to apply the concepts to other countries not discussed in the book. Comparing Media from Around the World also features exciting photographs from the sample countries showing not only the media but how they are experienced in context (for example, a newspaper stand in France and an internet cafe in Ghana)." (Publisher description)
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"Medien sind in den Alltag eingewoben, fungieren als Tagesbegleiter und werden meist beiläufig und ohne große Anstrengung genutzt. Doch was treibt Menschen dazu, ihre Zeit medialen Angeboten zu widmen? Von welchen Faktoren wird die Mediennutzung beeinflusst? Gibt es gruppenspezifische Nutzungsmust
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er? Und warum werden einzelne Formate und Medien genutzt? In den Beiträgen dieses Buches werden die Bedürfnisstrukturen und die Alltagsbeanspruchung von Rezipienten in den Mittelpunkt gerückt und dadurch Alltagsmuster einzelner Nutzergruppen und Nutzungsmuster einzelner Formate und Medien präsentiert. Hieraus werden Mediennutzungsmotive abgeleitet und Rückschlüsse auf den Stellenwert medialer Inhalte gezogen. Der Einsatz von Leitfadeninterviews und Gruppendiskussionen erbrachte eine Vielzahl neuer sowie eine Ausdifferenzierung bereits bekannter Mediennutzungsmotive, wodurch die in diesem Sammelband präsentierten Studien auch für Medienmacher interessant werden. Nathalie Huber ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung der Universität München. Michael Meyen ist dort Professor." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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