What does the Frankfurt School have to say about the creative industries? Does the spread of Google prove we now live in an information society? How is Madonna an example of postmodernism? How new is new media? Does the power of Facebook mean we're all media makers now?

This groundbreaking volume part reader, part textbook - helps you to engage thoroughly with some of the major voices that have come to define the landscape of theory in media studies, from the public sphere to postmodernism, from mass communication theory to media effects, from production to reception and beyond. But...

Despite its global reach, long-standing popularity, and immense profitability, the sitcom has been repeatedly neglected in theoretical work on television and media. This book brings the analysis of sitcom up to date with a wealth of contemporary examples, a range of new approaches to the genre, and an examination of the roles sitcom and comedy play within society.
With specific case studies ofWill and Grace, The Office, andThe Cosby Show, as well as analysis of a broad range of contemporary and historical examples throughout, this book will be of interest to students of...