Mark Deuze – photo from Indiana University
“You live in media. Who you are, what you do, and what all of this means to you does not exist outside of media.”
So begins Mark Deuze’s critical look at media, society, and culture, Media Life (Polity Press, 2012). Media are everywhere, and like fish in water, most are blissfully unaware of the very surroundings in which they live.
Meticulously researched and seamlessly written, Media Life addresses concerns and hopes, historical context and modern media phenomena. It is an important book, one which is set apart by its hope and optimism. Media, Deuze writes, isn’t something to be avoided or something we need to escape. Rather, media is most effective when it is understood and used to live a better life.
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