Showing posts with label history of technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history of technology. Show all posts

Electronic Media, Second Edition: Then, Now, and Later Review

Electronic Media, Second Edition: Then, Now, and Later
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
It would be difficult to be alive and even partially aware in the USA or any developed country right now and not experience how electronics and rapidly changing technology are shaping our lives. I'm one who was around when there was only radio and no TV, then black and white TV, and finally color TV, the snail-paced Commodore computers, personal Atari video games you could plug into that TV set, and then IBM computers with even 10 MB hard drives--a miracle! It has been a whirlwind of change, sometimes nearly shocking. Now with the explosion of handheld devices and the social media (Facebook, Twitter, You Tube) where's it all headed? Good question, and one that will affect us all.
This book could easily qualify as a doctoral thesis, but it is written far better than a lot of them, I'll wager. It is beautifully written, down to earth, reader-friendly for sure. Yet it is also impressively scholarly. If you would like to read about where we have been, where we are, and where we will be going with TV, handheld devices, etc.--at least the basic directions--here's your book. Filled with well-documented research and statistics, including websites to visit for more information, and the publisher's website where you can extend your reading even further, thorough chapter-by-chapter notes and a detailed index at the end, this book also includes useful lists of contents at the head of each chapter.
You get a history of electronic media overviews of radio, TV, cable, satellite, microwave, and internet. Also there is a behind-the-scenes look at broadcast media, including how advertising works. Ever wonder how ratings work? See pages 159 and following. And there is much more. The last two chapters look at the media from the viewer/user's perspective and provides guidelines for the user.
Finally there is a thoughtful look at the future and how this multitude of devices could very well be affects us soon.
This is an impressive and very well done work that is interesting, enjoyable and informative to read.
Highly recommended


Click Here to see more reviews about: Electronic Media, Second Edition: Then, Now, and Later


Electronic Media connects the traditional world of broadcasting with the contemporary universe of digital electronic media. It provides a synopsis of the beginnings of electronic media in broadcasting, and the subsequent advancements into digital media. Underlying the structure of the book is a "See It Then, See It Now, See It Later" approach that focuses on how past innovations lay the groundwork for changing trends in technology, providing the opportunity and demand for change in both broadcasting and digital media.

FYI and Zoom-In boxes point to further information, tying together the immediate and long-ranging issues surrounding electronic media. Career Tracks feature the experiences of industry experts and share tips in how to approach this challenging industry.
. Overview of the history of electronic media, industry terms, and current media trends. Exploration of electronic media from both a media consumer and provider's perspective. Consideration of social media and its effects on everday and mass communication. Unique "See It Then, See It Now, See It Later" chapter structure places electronic media history into historical context. Companion Web site provides further insights to how communication technologies work. Now available in major e-reader formats and apps!

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Electronic Media, Second Edition: Then, Now, and Later

Read More...

Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet Review

Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The book has a lot of arcane references. It tries to cover a lot of different aspects regarding the impact of communication media, but if you're looking for a "big picture" book, this might not be for you. It doesn't always connect the dots. It jumps between a lot of very specific examples. You sometimes wonder where they pull an example from. Ah, yes, Charles V visiting Bologna in 1529, of course. I remember it well. An example from the chapter on print:
"In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, small books became popular, the octavo, for instance, or the still smaller 12mo or 16mo format, which the famous Venetian printer Aldo Manuzio used for his editions of the classics."
The authors drop a lot of knowledge like this throughout the book, not always with enough context. But it's sort of up to you to follow up with some of these historical events or figures if you want to know more about it.
Edit: Ah, the authors are from the UK? I was wondering why John Logie Baird got more attention than Philo Pharnsworth.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet



Buy Now

Click here for more information about Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet

Read More...