Introduction to Media Sociology: All Media Are Social

By Stephen R. Barnard and Andrew M. Lindner

From streaming platforms to smartphone apps to the good old-fashioned newspaper, media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this new edition of Introduction to Media Sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about the power of big media companies, state-media relations, politics and journalism, representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media, and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains, among other topics. Each chapter explores pressing questions about media by synthesizing insights from classic and contemporary social scientific research, both quantitative and qualitative, with examples drawn from new and traditional media from across the globe. The second edition reflects the evolving power of Big Tech firms, the proliferation of misinformation, and voices from outside the mainstream. This edition also features a new chapter on generative artificial intelligence that addresses its potential to disrupt the creation, distribution, and reception of media, including by supercharging scams, deepfakes, and hate speech, or by reshaping of social relationships. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard once again provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1032899638
• ISBN13: 9781032899633
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 240 Pages