Explores the social, historical, economic, and technological implications of the media in our culture and how to use the media effectively in our lives.

Written by two highly regarded scholars and teachers, this text helps students develop a system-wide view of the interacting social, historical, economic, and technological forces at work in today's rapidly evolving mass media. Too often, mass communication texts rely only on popular publications or on academic research. Folkerts and Lacy believe that all forms of scholarship provide insight into mass communication. In this text, they have combined the concrete practice of journalism with empirical research, enabling students to comprehend the impact of the dynamic media that are an integral part of our lives today.

Folkerts and Lacy guide students through today's whirlwind of mass communication by providing them with the information and critical thinking skills necessary to consider objectively the media and its roles in their lives. Students are challenged to look at their own use of the media and to observe patterns they see in media industries, personalities, structures, and market trends in order to become more informed media consumers.

This affordable Books à la Carte Edition features the exact same content from our traditional textbook in a convenient, notebook-ready loose-leaf format – allowing students to take only what they need to class. As a bonus, the Books à la Carte Edition is accompanied by a full-color, laminated Study Card that’s a perfect tool to help students prepare for exams.