Media studies is an academic discipline that deals with the content, history, and effects of mass media.
It draws mainly from mass communication, communication sciences, and communication studies, but also borrows theories and methods from:
- Cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, psychology
- Political science, political economy, economics
- Philosophy, literary theory, rhetoric
- Art history, film theory, information theory
In short: it asks what media do, how they work, and what they do to us.
Origin
John Culkin – former priest and American educator – was one of the earliest advocates for media studies in schools. He believed students should learn to scrutinize mass media, not just consume it.
- He noted students spent more time watching TV than studying
- He advised creators of Sesame Street on how media affects children
- In 1975, he introduced the first media studies M.A. program in the U.S. at Fordham / New School – which has since graduated 2,000+ students
Culkin also brought Marshall McLuhan to Fordham and founded the Center for Understanding Media.
Global Contributions
Canada – McLuhan & Innis
Marshall McLuhan – Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
- “The medium is the message” – It’s not just what is said, but how the medium itself shapes human association
- Example: Electric light is pure information. Used for a football game or to spell a brand name, the effect is the message, not the content
- Content of any medium is always another medium: writing’s content is speech, print’s content is writing, telegraph’s content is print
- Media ecology: Media + users form an ecosystem. Adding smartphones doesn’t create “family + smartphones” – it creates a different family
- Hot vs Cool Media:
- Hot: High definition, low participation – radio, movie, lecture
- Cool: Low definition, high participation – telephone, TV, seminar
Harold Innis – Empire and Communications
- Media have a bias toward time or space
- Time-biased: Durable, heavy, hard to move – clay, stone, parchment. Keeps power centralized, hierarchical
- Space-biased: Light, portable – papyrus. Lets empires expand, decentralize, grow trade
- Empires need both to survive
France – Pierre Bourdieu
- On Television (1999): TV gives far less freedom than we think. Market pressure for ad revenue creates uniformity, banality, and invisible censorship. Producers pre-interview guests to ensure simple, sensational soundbites. Nuanced voices get excluded.
- Habitus: Lasting, transferable dispositions shaped by social context that structure our tastes, including media preferences. Not fixed – a “strategy-generating principle” for navigating new situations.
- Cultural Capital: Socially valuable skills/knowledge gained through upbringing and education – e.g., a university degree. Links to economic and social capital, and shapes what we like and consume.
Germany – Two Branches
- Humanities / Cultural branch: Film studies, theater studies, Germanistik, comparative literature. Became Medienkulturwissenschaft (culturally-based media studies) from the 1990s. Key figures: Friedrich Kittler, Heide Schlüpmann, Gertrud Koch, Erika Fischer-Lichte.
- Communication Studies branch: Pioneered by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in the 1940s. Studies mass media, institutions, and effects on society.
German Wissenschaft means both science + humanities – so German media theory mixes philosophy, psychoanalysis, history, and scientific research.
Russia – Exiled Media
- 2022 “Law on Discrediting the Army” created heavy censorship
- Result: Exiled media – journalists operating in exile due to repression, reaching audiences across borders, blending journalism and activism to deliver unbiased reporting from outside the country
Poland – Walery Pisarek
- Architect of Polish media studies, 40+ year career on persuasion, language, propaganda, and linguistics
- Taught at Jagiellonian, Warsaw, Silesia, etc. Supported Polish Language Act to protect Polish language/culture
United Kingdom – Stuart Hall & Reuters Institute
- Stuart Hall: Cultural studies. Mainstream media serves beliefs of the rich and powerful (influenced by Marx and Gramsci). Brought culture into media studies.
- Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Leads UK news media research
- Bennett & Kidd found British press linked Conservative Party views to idea that media studies lacked scientific principles and employability
United States – Uses & Gratifications, Context Collapse
- Elihu Katz – Uses and Gratifications Theory: People don’t consume media for one reason. Same media, different gratifications: companionship, escape, information, etc.
- Danah Boyd & Alice Marwick – Context Collapse (2010s): Social media flattens multiple audiences into one. Info meant for one audience reaches unintended audiences. You must choose one identity for all audiences at once.
Media Studies in Education Around the World
Australia: Taught since 1960s in Victoria. VCE course: Unit 1 Representation, Unit 2 Media Production, Unit 3 Narrative Texts, Unit 4 Media Process / Social Values. Top unis: Monash, QUT, RMIT, Melbourne, Queensland, UTS. Peak body: ATOM.
Canada: Media + Communication in same departments. First journalism programs: Carleton 1945, Western 1946, Ryerson 1950. Toronto School: Innis + McLuhan. Montreal School: James R. Taylor, organizational communication.
China: Communication University of China (founded 1954) and Zhejiang University of Media and Communications are specialists. Both produce top broadcasters/journalists.
Germany: Medienwissenschaften is one of most popular courses, but highly theoretical. Many students expect TV career training and are disappointed – universities say practical journalism is not the aim.
India: Fast-growing. Anna University first MSc in Electronic Media. Major centers: Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Asian College of Journalism, Xavier Institute, etc.
UK: Developed in 1960s from English / literary criticism. Key date 1959: Joseph Trenaman leaves BBC for Leeds. 1966: Centre for Mass Communication Research at Leicester founded (James Halloran). Taught at GCSE, A-level, etc.
US: Usually called “mass communication” or “communication” not “media studies”. MIT Comparative Media Studies started 1999 under Henry Jenkins. UVA Dept of Media Studies founded 2000. UC Berkeley, UC Irvine also key centers.
