Review article

A Critical Historical Overview of Media Approaches

Zala Volčić

Abstract

The article offers an overview of the main approaches to the media and introduces
the reader to the most influential media theories. It deals with the historical development
of the relationship of media, culture, society, and the public. It traces the development
of different notions of culture, their impacts on the media, and their relationships
to various conceptions of “the public”. It draws on this history to explore current
debates about the influences of the media and society on public life. In the first
part, the paper deals with some issues of the relation between theories of communication
and theories of society. It grounds the study of the media and communication in
the classical social theory and in the context of liberal pragmatism (Chicago School).
It tries to answer the questions such as how Dewey, Lippman, Mead, et al. conceptualize
the media and communications and what theoretical assumptions underlie liberal
pragmatism. Further, it seeks to explore the differences between Mass Communication
research (Media Effects Tradition) and Critical Theory (the Frankfurt School). The
main question in this section is how the ideas of thinkers associated with the “critical”
tradition compare with those of the “liberal” and “media effects” traditions. The article
also focuses on the differences between British Cultural Studies and the American
version of cultural studies. Lastly, it reviews the debate in Feminist and Audience approaches
to the media.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

23363

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/23363

Publication date:

20.12.2001.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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