The question as to whether we are now entering a risk society has become a key debate in contemporary social theory. Risk and Technological Culture presents a critical discussion of the main theories of risk from Ulrich Becks foundational work to that of his contemporaries such as Anthony Giddens and Scott Lash and assesses the extent to which risk has impacted on modern societies. In this discussion van Loon demonstrates how new technologies are transforming the character of risk and examines the relationship between technological culture and society through substantive chapters on topics such as waste, emerging viruses, communication technologies and urban disorders. In so doing this innovative new book extends the debate to encompass theorists such as Bruno Latour, Donna Haraway, Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari and Jean-Fran?ois Lyotard.

In the light of a rapidly changing media industry with new technologies, actors and advertising models, and the critical role of media in society, this volume highlights the meaning of different values in media companies and media managers' decisions. It discusses how economic as well as societal values can be equally integrated in media management processes and how such values affect the internal as well as external environment of media companies. The contributions analyze various issues in media management, such as the relationship between quality and audience demand, the role of branding in building values, changes in the value chain, and the impact of deregulation. Further important topics include hypercompetition, mediatization, challenges for media managers and the meaning of corporate social responsibility.

In the light of a rapidly changing media industry with new technologies, actors and advertising models, and the critical role of media in society, this volume highlights the meaning of different values in media companies and media managers' decisions. It discusses how economic as well as societal values can be equally integrated in media management processes and how such values affect the internal as well as external environment of media companies. The contributions analyze various issues in media management, such as the relationship between quality and audience demand, the role of branding in building values, changes in the value chain, and the impact of deregulation. Further important topics include hypercompetition, mediatization, challenges for media managers and the meaning of corporate social responsibility.

The essays in this volume discuss the various approaches to New Materialism in Sociology and Philosophy. They raise the questions of what New Materialism consists of and whether it in fact should be considered a radical change in Social Theory. Are the ideas of a "material turn", as the theory is formulated and in its assumptions, foreshadowed by the classical philosophies of Spinoza and Tarde? Do these new approaches bring substantially new perspectives to Social Theory? A further goal of these essays is to formulate the methodological and methodical consequences for its empirical implementation. What conditions must an ethnography of things fulfill if it is to be sufficient? Which participant objects and bodies do the approaches of the various social theories and methodologies include or exclude?

Ulrich Beck's best selling Risk Society established risk on the sociological agenda. It brought together a wide range of issues centering on environmental, health and personal risk, provided a rallying ground for researchers and activists in a variety of social movements and acted as a reference point for state and local policies in risk management. The Risk Society and Beyond charts the progress of Beck's ideas and traces their evolution. It demonstrates why the issues raised by Beck reverberate widely throughout social theory and covers the new risks that Beck did not foresee, associated with the emergence of new technologies, genetic and cybernetic. The book is unique because it offers both an introduction to the main arguments in Risk Society and develops a range of critical discussions of aspects of this and other works of Beck.

The question as to whether we are now entering a risk society has become a key debate in contemporary social theory.Risk and Technological Culture presents a critical overview of the main theories of risk - from Ulrich Beck's foundational work to that of his contemporaries Anthony Giddens and Scott Lash - and assesses the extent to which risk has impacted on modern societies. In this discussion, van Loon demonstrates how new technologies are transforming the character of risk, and examines the relationship between technological culture and society through substantive chapters on topics such as ecology, violent crime and communication technologies. In so doing, this innovative new book extends the debate to encompass theorists such as Jean-François Lyotard, Bruno Latour and Donna Haraway.

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