The business models of traditional media are experiencing a profound crisis. One of the core issues of this crisis is the increasing breakdown of the value chain model - a model based on the numbers of readers, viewers, and users which the mass media can "sell" in exchange for advertising revenue. These formerly stable models of the media value chain are now in perpetual flux, requiring adaptation to the rapid changes in technology and the volatility of user preferences. Can media companies cope with these new circumstances and at the same time fulfill their traditional roles? This volume addresses this question, and others, to explore scenarios, phenomena, and developments which point to new configurations arising from new media business models, innovative ways in which media practitioners engage their audiences, intercontinental media phenomena, user-generated content, and the general disconnect between print and online media paradigms. Contributors point to a way out of the general bewilderment, providing answers to frequently asked questions, and ideas for new guidelines and solutions.

The business models of traditional media are experiencing a profound crisis. One of the core issues of this crisis is the increasing breakdown of the value chain model - a model based on the numbers of readers, viewers, and users which the mass media can "sell" in exchange for advertising revenue. These formerly stable models of the media value chain are now in perpetual flux, requiring adaptation to the rapid changes in technology and the volatility of user preferences. Can media companies cope with these new circumstances and at the same time fulfill their traditional roles? This volume addresses this question, and others, to explore scenarios, phenomena, and developments which point to new configurations arising from new media business models, innovative ways in which media practitioners engage their audiences, intercontinental media phenomena, user-generated content, and the general disconnect between print and online media paradigms. Contributors point to a way out of the general bewilderment, providing answers to frequently asked questions, and ideas for new guidelines and solutions.

In light of the crisis surrounding traditional media and the radical changes resulting from the advent of the Internet and the social media, various media outlets have argued, or more subtly, hinted at the demise of the printed news, or the end of traditional media. This backdrop forms the genesis for this thought-provoking and provocative volume for imagining life without media. While there is some skepticism toward the radical hypothesis of the death of the media, there is mounting concern, at the same time, regarding the changing media space(s) and the relevance of the media's roles and places in different and diverse social spheres. Unanimously, contributors report that while these roles and places have changed, the difficulty lies in where and how to delineate them. The chapters provide some answers to the hypothesis of life without media, and in many instances raise new questions and doubts.

In light of the crisis surrounding traditional media and the radical changes resulting from the advent of the Internet and the social media, various media outlets have argued, or more subtly, hinted at the demise of the printed news, or the end of traditional media. This backdrop forms the genesis for this thought-provoking and provocative volume for imagining life without media. While there is some skepticism toward the radical hypothesis of the death of the media, there is mounting concern, at the same time, regarding the changing media space(s) and the relevance of the media's roles and places in different and diverse social spheres. Unanimously, contributors report that while these roles and places have changed, the difficulty lies in where and how to delineate them. The chapters provide some answers to the hypothesis of life without media, and in many instances raise new questions and doubts.