Over the last decade there has been a growing use of qualitative research methods in the study of social and cultural change. Incorporating theoretical insights from discourse analysis, ethnography and reception theory, such research has proved an enlightening mode of analysis. This handbook is one of the first devoted to the utilization of such methods in mass media research. It includes contributions from those at the forefront of communication studies who apply a developing methodology to media contents, contexts and audiences. Among others, Gaye Tuchman writes on news production, Dave...

This volume provides a comparative analysis of the use of the World Wide Web in countries around the world for political campaign purposes.

Drawing upon a common conceptual framework - the Web sphere, and a shared methodological approach called Web feature analysis - in order to examine how the Internet is used by a variety of political actors during periods of electoral activity. Research teams around the world conducted analyses in technologically advanced nations, as well as those with low Internet diffusion, and a variety of countries in the middle range of network penetration, and...