What is the link between Information Communication Technology (ICT) and women's empowerment in today's development context? How can ICT facilitate the pursuit of visions for a better world? Avoiding both 'techno-euphoric' and 'techno-pessimistic' hype this book offers answers. Based on analysis from twenty-one research teams in fourteen countries, Gender and ICTs in Africa and the Middle East explores a multitude of case studies - from the Sudanese radio sex education campaign to the 'Egyptian Facebook Revolution' - demonstrating what it takes to wield the emancipatory potential of ICT. A much needed, human-centred contribution to the fields of gender, development and Information Communication for Development.

This book analyzes the challenges facing public service media management in the face of ongoing technological developments and changing audience behaviors. It connects models, strategies, concepts, and managerial theories with emerging approaches to public media practices through an examination of media services (e.g. blogs, social networks, search engines, content aggregators) and the online performance of traditional public media organizations. Contributors identify the most relevant and useful approaches, those likely to encourage creativity, interaction, and the development of innovative content and services, and discuss how such innovation can underpin the continuation or expansion of public service media in the changing mediascape.

This major reference work provides a thorough and up-to-date survey and analysis of recent developments in the economics of telecommunications. The Handbooks serve both as a source of reference and technical supplement for the field of telecommunications economics. Volume I reviews the traditional literature to bring readers up to date on the current treatment of telecommunications economics. The coverage includes: demand, supply, costs, market structure, regulation, interconnection and universal service. Volume II is concerned with future developments that will arise in the digital era. The coverage includes: internet, electronic commerce, mobile voice and data transmission, point-to-point and multi-point communication, regulation, satellite services and universal service in the information age. Volume III examines the structure within which modern communications companies operate and evolve, and how corporations must account for multiple objectives associated with both national economic and social policy. The volume draws useful lessons from the recent corporate experience of major international telecommunications companies. The contributors explore the interaction of diversity in national approaches with the continuing need for international cooperation and coordination, which continues to be an important area of debate. The Handbooks are written at a level intended for professional use by economists, advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and will also prove useful to policy analysts, engineers and managers within the industry.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Presenting cutting-edge thoughts on media economics, its history and development, and looking forward to its future, this timely book investigates the changing face of the field. With contributions from some of the most prominent media economics scholars in the world, this provocative and visionary Research Agenda covers theory development, consumer and audience demand, information and cultural goods, and technological dimensions. Chapters explore globalization, industry organization, social and ethical aspects of media firms, new media viability and the historical eras of media economics. Presenting a range of streams of inquiry and topics needing more study and development, this Research Agenda looks at new and innovative ways to stimulate thought around key research questions and designs. PhD students and scholars of media studies and media economics will benefit from the expansion of basic concepts, theories and methods found in this key book. It will also be critical reading for media professionals looking to understand more about the impact and importance of contemporary media relations. Contributors include: A.B. Albarran, A. Arrese, M. Barrett, A.J. Coffey, C.A. Hollifield, W.-y. Hsu, C. Kolo, Y.-l. Liu, M. Medina, B.I. Mierzejewska, M.E. Gutierrez-Renteria, U. Rohn, A. Sanchez-Tabernero, C. Shao, X. Zhang

The final volume of Rick Bragg's bestselling and beloved American saga documents a mesmerizing journey back in time to the lush Alabama landscape of Rick's youth, to Jacksonville's one-hundred-year-old mill and to Rick's father, the troubled, charismatic hustler coming of age in its shadow.
Inspired by Rick Bragg's love for his stepson, The Prince of Frogtown also chronicles his own journey into fatherhood, as he learns to avoid the pitfalls of his forebearers. With candor, insight, and tremendous humor, Bragg seamlessly weaves these luminous narrative threads together and delivers an unforgettable rumination about fathers and sons.

This volume explores agenda-setting theory in light of changes in the media environment in the 21st century. In the decades since the original Chapel Hill study that launched agenda-setting research, the theory has attracted the interest of scholars worldwide. Agenda Setting in a 2.0 World features the work of a new generation of scholars. The research provided by these young scholars reflects two broad contemporary trends in agenda-setting: A centrifugal trend of research in the expanding media landscape and in domains beyond the original focus on public affairs, and a centripetal trend further explicating agenda-setting's core concepts.

The rapid growth of network industries has generated much comment amongst academics and policy makers. This timely volume takes an interdisciplinary, case study-based approach to examining network issues and experiences in order to develop recommendations that can inform antitrust, regulatory and legislative policy. Legal, economic, political and institutional aspects of network access are analyzed. The first part of the volume focuses on five topics that are central to reasoned analysis of the access problem. The second part presents ten case studies of network access in the energy, transportation, telecommunications, internet and banking industries. The volume concludes with comparisons and contrasts across the cases and policy recommendations. Network Access, Regulation and Antitrust will prove invaluable to students of business, economics, law and economics and industrial economics, policy makers and academics working in the field.

This volume explores agenda-setting theory in light of changes in the media environment in the 21st century. In the decades since the original Chapel Hill study that launched agenda-setting research, the theory has attracted the interest of scholars worldwide. Agenda Setting in a 2.0 World features the work of a new generation of scholars. The research provided by these young scholars reflects two broad contemporary trends in agenda-setting: A centrifugal trend of research in the expanding media landscape and in domains beyond the original focus on public affairs, and a centripetal trend further explicating agenda-setting's core concepts.

This book attempts to draw lessons from the experiences of developed as well as developing countries in carrying out telecommunications reform. Contributors come from academia, as well as from stakeholders in telecommunications policy in a dozen countries, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region.Globally, the telecommunications industry is undergoing major changes: technological advances in the form of a vast number of new digitised services, ownership shifts as state-owned carriers in many countries become fully or partly privatized, and a general transition from monopolistic to more competitive market environments. The economic and regulatory experiences derived from these changes are explored and analyzed using the USA, the UK, Australia and Singapore to represent developed and newly industrialized countries, and China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam as examples of developing countries. The conclusions outlined in this timely volume hold important lessons for these as well as for other countries. This book will be of great interest to telecommunications policymakers, public and private stakeholders in the industry, along with those - especially academics and researchers - with an interest in the progress of telecommunications in developing countries.

A critical cultural materialist introduction to the study of global entertainment media. In Global Entertainment Media, Tanner Mirrlees undertakes an analysis of the ownership, production, distribution, marketing, exhibition and consumption of global films and television shows, with an eye to political economy and cultural studies. Among other topics, Mirrlees examines: Paradigms of global entertainment media such as cultural imperialism and cultural globalization. The business of entertainment media: the structure of capitalist culture/creative industries (financers, producers, distributors and exhibitors) and trends in the global political economy of entertainment media. The "governance" of global entertainment media: state and inter-state media and cultural policies and regulations that govern the production, distribution and exhibition of entertainment media and enable or impede its cross-border flow. The new international division of cultural labor (NICL): the cross-border production of entertainment by cultural workers in asymmetrically interdependent media capitals, and economic and cultural concerns surrounding runaway productions and co-productions. The economic motivations and textual design features of globally popular entertainment forms such as blockbuster event films, TV formats, glocalized lifestyle brands and synergistic media. The cross-cultural reception and effects of TV shows and films. The World Wide Web, digitization and convergence culture.

First published in 2006. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This volume examines how social media is evolving as an industry-it is an extension of traditional media industries, yet it is distinctly different in its nature and ability to build relationships among users. Examining social media in both descriptive and analytical ways, the chapters included herein present an overview of the social media industries, considering the history, development, and theoretical orientations used to understand social media. Covered are:

• Business models found among the social media industries and social media as a form of marketing.
• Social media as a form of entertainment content, both in terms of digital content, and as a tool in the production of news.
• Discussions of ethics and privacy as applied to the area of social media.
• An examination of audience uses of social media considering differences among Latinos, African-Americans, and people over the age of 35.

Overall, the volume provides a timely and innovative look at the business aspects of social media, and it has much to offer scholars, researchers, and students in media and communication, as well as media practitioners.

This book provides a comprehensive, easy-to-understand introductory guide to information, offering students the critical tools they need to shift their positioning from consumers and users to creators and critics. Searching, accessing, and using information are central to most daily lives. Yet, many users are not able to define what information is, identify who controls information, and create information to achieve a common good. In this book, Micky Lee teaches readers to critically interrogate key issues such as the categorization of information and knowledge throughout history, what digital divides are, why information is gender and race biased, how governments and corporations control citizens and consumers, as well as how we can resist unbalanced power relations. Readers will not only be able to relate these issues to "old" technologies, such as writing and printing, but will also be able to examine futurist technologies through the lenses of these enduring issues. A thoughtful and comprehensive overview, this is an ideal book for students and scholars of media studies, information and society, and communication and technology.

In recent years, the study of creativity has shifted from analysis of culture as an end in itself to one of economic enhancement, and its capability to generate wealth and promote economic development. Increasingly, European cities and regions are using the arts to fuel wellbeing and reinvigorate economies after the comparative demise of more traditional industry and manufacturing. A growing literature is starting to highlight the innovation capacity of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) as they intersect the innovation processes of other manufacturing and services sectors with an innovative and creative output. Culture and creativity may be a strategic weapon to exit the present crisis and redefine an economic model of sustainable development. This book brings together a set of multidisciplinary contributions to investigate the kaleidoscope of European creativity, focussing on CCIs and the innovations connected with them. The two main questions that this volume aims to address are: How can we identify, map and define CCIs in Europe? And how do they contribute to innovation and sustainable growth? The volume is split into two parts. The first part deals with the definition, measurement and mapping of the geography of European CCIs according to a local economic approach, focussing on Italy, Spain, the UK, Austria, Denmark and France. This section surveys the different industrial typologies and spatial patterns, which underline a significant dissimilarity between the North and the South of Europe, mainly due to the difference between heritage-driven and technology-driven countries. The section concludes with a case study on a Japanese creative city. The second part collects some interesting cases of innovation generated in creative spaces such as cities of art or creative clusters and networks. This entails the study of innovations among creative and non-creative sectors (e.g. laser technologies in conservation of works of art and design networks in Italy) and across European and non-European countries (e.g. Spaghetti Western movies in the US or visual artists in New Zealand). Finally, an innovation capacity of culture that can regenerate mature sectors (e.g. the French food supply chain and Swiss watch Valley) or combine the creative and green economics paradigms (e.g. the green creative cities in North Europe) is analyzed. This book will appeal to academics, scholars and practitioners of urban and regional studies, cultural and creative economics and managerial and organization studies.

At its heart this book is about innovation and the innovation process. On the way, it considers culture and the cultural industries, aesthetics, creativity and the creative industries, and a number of other similar topics.
Much of the existing economic literature on innovation has taken a particularly technological or functional viewpoint as to what sort of new products and processes are to be considered innovations. One of the key things this book shows is that there is a type of innovation, here labelled "soft innovation," primarily concerned with changes in products (and perhaps processes) of an aesthetic or intellectual nature, that has largely been ignored in the study of innovation prevalent in economics. Examples of innovations that, as a result of this refocusing, are here placed at the centre of the analysis include: the writing and publishing of a new book, the writing, production, and launching of a new movie, the development and launch of a new advertising promotion, the design and production of a new range of furniture, and architectural activity in the generation of new built form designs. The realisation of the existence of soft innovation means that, not only is innovation more widespread than previously considered, but that it may also take a different form than commonly considered.
Soft Innovation addresses key issues such as:
* The measurement of the rate and extent of soft innovation,
* The determinants of the rate and direction of soft innovation and diffusion,
* The impacts of soft innovation and diffusion upon outputs, productivity, employment, firm performance, trade, and economic welfare,
* Policy, considering whether there is a rationale for government intervention in the soft innovation generation and diffusion processes, and if so what instruments can be used in such intervention?
Soft Innovation breaks new ground in the study of innovation, and will be key reading for academics and researchers of Innovation, Marketing, and Design, as well as consultants, practitioners, and policy-makers concerned with the creative industries.

Disasters in today's globalized world are becoming not only more frequent but, often, more catastrophic. The media play a critical role in communicating and making sense of these cataclysmic events. This book offers unique insights into how news media today make disasters culturally meaningful and politically important, drawing on cutting-edge theoretical work and recent examples. It looks at how globalization is affecting the meanings of disaster but also considers the continued relevance of nations and their citizens as interpretive frameworks. It examines how journalists' witnessing of disasters is changing in response to new technologies, including social media, and how the ideal of objectivity might be challenged by new, more emotional and more compassionate forms of story-telling premised on an injunction to care. Ultimately, the book calls attention to the media possibilities for addressing disasters as global social, political, cultural and economic events in which we all have a stake.

Comprising original empirical studies of career-making in the creative sector, this book takes in theatre, music, film, TV, visual arts, fashion design, and architecture as creative industries. This format facilitates comparative analysis of central features of career-making within as well as across both specific industries and national contexts. The book is at the forefront and intersection of contemporary career research and research on work in creative industries / the cultural economy, intertwining both subjective and objective approaches to and dimensions of career. The contributors move beyond the dichotomies that have characterized recent career theory and work on creative industries to examine factors that facilitate and restrict horizontal and vertical mobility. Spanning a diverse range of case studies, from German theatre to Danish fashion, this book is a valuable reference for scholars of the creative and cultural industries and important reading for thoser interested in careers more generally.

In the twenty-first century, community radio is fulfilling an increasingly important role in the world's mediascape. This book documents the ways in which community radio broadcasters and activists are using the medium in countries around the world to challenge political corruption, aid the transition to political democracy and broadcast voices that are otherwise unheard. The contributors to the volume are academics and practitioners from five continents, many with first-hand experience of community radio. Each chapter demonstrates the pivotal role that small radio stations can play in developing, sustaining and invigorating communities. The book charts campaigns for the legalisation of community radio and relates them to a theoretical context, while providing illustrations and examples from community radio stations around the world.

This lively introduction to television documentaries spotlights their history, production and reception, principal forms and functions and their adaptation to today’s programming needs. What impact has television's growing commercialisation had on the type of documentary broadcast? What has led to the introduction of an increasing number of hybridised forms? These questions are addressed within an examination of the role of institutions, documentary’s 'special relationship' with the real, and an insight into how audiences interpret the documentaries they view. Confronting reality has been written with the requirements of media studies students in mind, yet it is a must for everyone concerned with recording reality in the fast-changing world of television today.

Communication technologies, including the internet, social media, and countless online applications create the infrastructure and interface through which many of our interactions take place today. This form of networked communication creates new questions about how we establish relationships, engage in public, build a sense of identity, and delimit the private domain. The ubiquitous adoption of new technologies has also produced, as a byproduct, new ways of observing the world: many of our interactions now leave a digital trail that, if followed, can help us unravel the rhythms of social life and the complexity of the world we inhabit-and thus help us reconstruct the logic of social order and change. The analysis of digital data requires partnerships across disciplinary boundaries that-although on the rise-are still uncommon. Social scientists and computer scientists have never been closer in their goals of trying to understand communication dynamics, but there are not many venues where they can engage in an open exchange of methods and theoretical insights. This handbook brings together scholars across the social and technological sciences to lay the foundations of communication research in the networked age, and to provide a canon of how research should be conducted in the digital era. The contributors highlight the main theories currently guiding their research in digital communication, and discuss state-of-the-art methodological tools, including automated text analysis, the analysis of networks, and the use of natural experiments in virtual environments. Following a general introduction, the handbook covers network and information flow, communication and organizational dynamics, interactions and social capital, mobility and space, political communication and behavior, and the ethics of digital research.

This book explores developments in the Russian mass media since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Complementing and building upon its companion volume, Television and Culture in Putin's Russia: Remote Control, it traces the tensions resulting from the effective return to state-control under Putin of a mass media privatised and accorded its first, limited, taste of independence in the Yeltsin period. It surveys the key developments in Russian media since 1991, including the printed press, television and new media, and investigates the contradictions of the post-Soviet media market that have affected the development of the media sector in recent years. It analyses the impact of the Putin presidency, including the ways in which the media have constructed Putin s image in order to consolidate his power and their role in securing his election victories in 2000 and 2004. It goes on to consider the status and function of journalism in post-Soviet Russia, discussing the conflict between market needs and those of censorship, the gulf that has arisen separating journalists from their audiences. The relationship between television and politics is examined, and also the role of television as entertainment, as well as its role in nation building and the projection of a national identity. Finally, it appraises the increasingly important role of new media and the internet. Overall, this book is a detailed investigation of the development of mass media in Russia since the end of Communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Media representations of ageing play a role in stereotype formation and even reinforce them. Encountering these stereotypes can negatively impact the self-esteem, health status, physical wellbeing and cognitive performance of older people. This international collection examines different dimensions of ageing and ageism in a range of media. Chapters include explorations of the UK media during the COVID-19 pandemic; age, gender and mental health in Ghana; advertising in Brazil; magazines in Canada; Taiwanese newspapers; comics, graphic novels and more. Bringing together leading scholars, this book critically considers differences in media portrayals and how older adults use and interact with the media.

This work looks at the functions of documentary in film and television. Its attempts to depict reality and to comment on it have provoked disagreement from the 1920s to the present day. Recent debates about knowledge and representation, and about the changing character of public culture have increased its interest and relevance. The author presents a clear view of the theoretical issues and critical debates about documentary, and discusses the development of the main styles and approaches, including dramadocs and fly-on-the-wall. The book also looks at the dual identity of work in documentary as both artefact and as a reference. This work provides an analysis of specific examples of powerful documentary films and programmes such as: Cathy Come Home (whose presentation of homelessness and young women had enormous impact); Life and Times of Rosie the Rivetter (depicting the treatment of women in US factories during World War II); and When the Dog Bites (a view of life in the previously industrial town of Consett following the closure of the steel works).

"As esports has grown, the need for professional legal representation has grown with it. Justin's Essential Guide to the Business & Law of Esports & Professional Video Gaming provides a great baseline and will help prevent the legal horror stories of esports in the past." Mitch Reames, AdWeek and Esports Insider "Justin's exploration of the business and law side of the esports sector fills a gap of knowledge that is an absolute necessity in truly understanding the esports space." Kevin Hitt, The Esports Observer The Essential Guide to the Business & Law of Esports & Professional Video Gaming covers everything you need to know about the past, present, and future of esports and professional video gaming. The book is written by one of the foremost attorneys and business practitioners in today's esports and professional gaming scene, Justin M. Jacobson, Esq. This guide is meant to provide you with an in-depth look at the business and legal matters associated with the esports world. * Includes coverage of the stakeholders in the esports business "ecosystem," including the talent, the teams, the publishers, and the event organizers. * Explores various legal fields involved with esports, including intellectual property, employment and player unions, business investments and tax "write-offs," immigration and visas, event operation tips, social media and on-stream promotions, and much more. * The most current book on the market, with actual contract provisions modeled on existing major esports player, coach, shoutcaster, and sponsorship agreements. About the Author Justin M. Jacobson, Esq. is an entertainment and esports attorney located in New York City. For the last decade, he has worked with professional athletes, musicians, producers, DJs, record labels, fashion designers, as well as professional gamers, streamers, coaches, on-air talent, and esports organizations. He assists these creative individuals with their contract, copyright, trademark, immigration, tax, and related business, marketing, and legal issues. He is a frequent contributor to many industry publications and has been featured on a variety of entertainment, music, and esports publications and podcasts, including Business Insider, The Esports Observer, Esports Insider, Tunecore, and Sport Techie. Justin has positioned himself as a top esports business professional working with talent in a variety of franchise leagues including the Overwatch League, Overwatch Contenders, and Call of Duty Pro League as well as in many popular competitive titles such as Fortnite, CS:GO, Gears of War, Halo, Super Smash Brothers, Rainbow 6, PUBG, Madden, and FIFA and mobile games such as Brawlhalla, Clash of Clans, and Call of Duty mobile. Previously, he worked with various esports talent agencies as well as in an official capacity on behalf of several esports teams and brands.

This volume examines agenda-setting theory as it applies to the news media s influence on corporate reputation. It presents interdisciplinary, international, and empirical investigations examining the relationship between corporate reputation and the news media throughout the world. Providing coverage of more than twenty-five countries, contributors write about their local media and business communities, representing developed, emerging, and frontier markets including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Greece, Japan, Nigeria, Spain, and Turkey, among others. The chapters present primary and secondary research on various geo-political issues, the nature of the news media, the practice of public relations, and the role of public relations agencies in each of the various countries.

Each chapter is structured to consider two to three hypotheses in the country under discussion, including:

• the impact of media visibility on organizational prominence, top-of-mind awareness and brand-name recognition
• the impact of media favorability on the public s organizational images of these firms
• how media coverage of specific public issues and news topics relates to the associations people form of specific firms.

Contributors contextualize their findings in light of the geopolitical environment of their home countries, the nature of their media systems, and the relationship between business and the news media within their countries borders.

Incorporating scholarship from a broad range of disciplines, including advertising, strategic management, business, political communication, and sociology, this volume has much to offer scholars and students examining business and the news media.