Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies, 8th edition

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Preface to the 8th edition


If there is one word which defi nes the evolution of media since the 7th edition of this Dictionary
of Media and Communication Studies in 2006 it is participation: the audience is king; and this has
largely come about as a result of the opportunities for feedback and interactivity made possible by
new and improved technology. Once upon a time there were TV sets. Th e whole family sat in front
of them and the choice was either, or.
Today young people see less of their parents. Th ey retire to their rooms, click a button and a
universe of information, entertainment, games opens up to them. Th ey can contact their hundreds
if not thousands of ‘friends’ on Facebook, watch a score of fi ve-minute videos a night on YouTube –
and may appear to have less need to interact with real people in the real world.
Ironically, for this same generation many educational experiences will be shared with others, in
the traditional manner, in seminars and lectures. True cyberspace will be available on electronic
whiteboards, but what happens on a daily basis is little diff erent from the educational experiences
of their parents and or indeed their grandparents. We ask, has the bounty of the Internet, the access
our smartphones have made possible, changed culture that much? Are people meeting each
other less frequently, reading less, watching conventional TV less; is the newspaper on the verge of
extinction?
Also, taking into account the fashionable political mantra, the ‘big society’, in which we all rise up
and take command of the heights of decision-making, opening our own schools, choosing where
we’ll have our babies or our heart surgery, are we experiencing the beginning of a world turned
upside down, of power rising from the depths to assert itself over former privilege, of the power of
smart mobs?
Whether the answer is a qualifi ed yes or no, what is important is who is asking and attempting to
answer the question. For example, has power of a sort shifted to social networks (see networking:
social networking), where petitions and protests can be organized swiftly and on a large scale?
Faced with public opinion expressed online, do the power elites (see elite) adjust their position,
promise more public consultation in future, reverse their decisions – or do they wait till online
interactivity returns to the more normal, ‘I hate Monday mornings’/ ‘So do I’ discourse?


Interactive culture


Technological innovation is not the only source of change confronting the twenty-fi rst-century
citizen. To use Eric M. Eisenberg’s phrase, the sociocultural ‘surround’ in which much everyday
social interaction takes place has also changed for many of us. Most Western societies have seen
a growth in cultural diversity. Th e challenges this presents for successful interaction has been the
focus of much contemporary research within the fi eld of interpersonal communication and
the entries for this fi eld of study have been revised to refl ect such developments.
Arguably the forces of globalization usher-in social fragmentation and uncertainties – not
least uncertainties about self-identity. So, research focused on the contemporary odyssey of the
search for self-identity, which Anthony Giddens terms the project of self, is considered. Th e
potential of everyday communication to contribute to the forging of a sense of self-identity informs
numerous entries, such as those for dress, gender, the johari window, performativity, role
model and self-disclosure.

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