Importance Of Studying Media

Why is it important to study the media, rather than simply consume it?

Modern life without the media would be unimaginable for even the most reclusive. They are both so intertwined that any attempt to extricate one from the other would require herculean efforts. And yet, the history of the media is a short one; its evolution into a powerful tool had been swift and unpredictable (Bazalgette, 2000, p. 2). It is not surprising, then, for the media to be regarded with suspicion, and even fear, as society struggles with this rapidly changing construct (Bazalgette, 2000, p. 2). However, what is surprising is the lack of study on a subject which is as ubiquitous as it is significant.

Media studies as an academic subject, as with much of its theoretical framework, has only surfaced in recent decades (Bazalgette, 2000, p. 2). Despite growing interests in the field, media studies is still fraught with controversies and its fair share of detractors (Bazalgette, 2000, p. 3). Nevertheless, it is clear that a closer inspection of the media is crucial to becoming a more informed consumer of it. Specifically, how studying the media will empower its audiences and help develop more sophisticated readings of media texts; how the media pertains to the ‘conception of the self’ (Thompson, 1995, p. 22); and how useful it is to be a student of media studies.

Our worldview is constructed using information that is filtered to us through various forms of media. To study the media is to then investigate these filters. Bazalgette (2000, p. 2) suggested that politicians and industry leaders who were born in the early twentieth century were likely unfamiliar with new technology. Their decisions and opinions would thus have been inevitably influenced by their...

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...creasing significance on our individuality and sense of self, it is obvious that everyone should be studying the media.

Reference List

BAZALGETTE, G. 2000. “Why Media Studies is Worthwhile”. in: S. COOPER (ed.) ATS 1277 Media Studies Reader. Churchill. Monash Print & Design Gippsland. pp.1-12.

MCKEE, A. 2001. “A Beginner's Guide to Textual Analysis”. in: S. COOPER (ed.) ATS 1277 Media Studies Reader. Churchill. Monash Print & Design Gippsland. pp.55-64.

SINCLAIR, J. 2002. “Media and Communications: Theoretical Traditions”. in: S. COOPER (ed.) ATS 1277 Media Studies Reader. Churchill. Monash Print & Design Gippsland. pp.13-20.

THOMPSON, J. B. 1995. “Self and Experience in a Mediated World”, The Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media. in: S. COOPER (ed.) ATS 1277 Media Studies Reader. Churchill. Monash Print & Design Gippsland. pp.21-32.