From entertainment to citizenship reveals how the young use shows like X-factor to comment on how power ought to be used, and how they respond to those pop stars - like Bono and Bob Geldof - who claim to represent them. It explores how young people connect the pleasures of popular culture to the world at large. For them, popular culture is not simply a matter of escapism and entertainment, but of engagement too.

The place of popular culture in politics, and its contribution to democratic life, has too often been misrepresented or misunderstood. This book provides the evidence and analysis...

Media matters. From encouraging charitable donations and delivering public health messages to promoting democratic participation and state accountability, the media can play a crucial role in development. Yet the influence of the media is not always welcome. It can also be used as a mechanism of surveillance and control or to disseminate hate speech and propaganda. How then should we respond to the growing importance of the media - including journalism, radio, television, community media and social media - for poverty and inequality? The first step is to acquire an informed and critical...

There is a widespread concern about young people's disengagement from politics, and a widespread assumption that part of the explanation for this disengagement is mass media in general and popular culture in particular. This book challenges both assumptions. Drawing on research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, it provides the first detailed study of how young people in Britain use popular culture to shape and express their political views and values. From entertainment to citizenship reveals how the young use shows like X-factor to comment on how power ought to be used, and...