Digital Media Influence

Accounts of media research rarely pay attention to the social contexts that give rise to the questions scholars address, and even more rarely do they acknowledge the personal dimensions that draw us to particular questions at particular moments. In contrast, Ruddock's uses the life and work of George Gerbner to illuminate a critical period in 20th Century media research and, while accomplishing this important task, he succeeds as well in placing current media research in the context of contemporary concerns and challenges. This will be a valuable resource for introducing the history of media research and relating long-standing theories to new questions. -- Professor Larry Gross Andy Ruddock's book is a terrific way to get into the fields of cultivation research and cultural indicators. It provides useful cases that help illustrate both the means and methods of the research approaches, and applies them in specific contexts. It is not the usual social science, exemplifying the blend of empirical research and critical approaches that so characterizes the work under study. Add to that previously unearthed historical and archive findings, and we have a book that will essential for media scholars and students alike. -- James Shanahan Linking the past, present and future of media and media studies in a dynamic synthesis of theory and case studies, Andy Ruddock makes a compelling case for George Gerbner's cultivation analysis in an age of digital media. Using examples such as school shootings, the Trump presidency, Islamophobia, and young women in reality TV, this short book provides a timely argument for the continuing relevance of studying media influence, for both media scholars and other social researchers. -- Terry Flew In this lively and engaging work, Andy Ruddock revisits cultivation theory, one of the most influential 20th Century approaches to the study of media effects, and gives it new life in today's hyper-mediatised digital environment. With remarkable insight, his innovative turn on cultivation makes us think about social media, gaming, cable news, Islamophobia, feminist media scholarship, memes, and much more, in new and critical ways - such as when he shows how Trump has melded television's classic messages about power, gender and victimisation into a new form of digital political communication. In each area of analysis, Ruddock deftly points us toward new methods for new times, when reality are fiction are more blurred than ever. A must-read for scholars of traditional and digital media alike. -- Professor Emeritus Michael Morgan