Comparative media history, an introduction: 1789 to the present

Abstract

This book aims to give a greater insight into the modern history of the media by considering influences on developments within a framework that uses a comparative approach to weigh up continuity versu change. This is a study of a selected number of countries and media industries, not cultural or social theory applied to history. As such, the aim is to encourage a broader understanding of cause and effect using the comparative method. Rather than providing a continuous narrative of media development in each country and industry, the study looks at the basic concepts behind the origins of various trends that reveal aspects both of previous developments and of new ones that start to emerge. To this extent it is influenced by the history of political thought, political economy, and economic and social history, as well as communication studies and some media theory. While it is difficult to do justice to all of these disciplines, the reader can borrow from them in order to gain greater insights into the thinking behind major developments, an appreciation of the issues of the past, and the extent to which they remain with us today