Hacking Hybrid Media

With an engaging voice and a sophisticated eye, Barnard shows the way the complex interplay of technological, political, social, and journalistic structures and practices give birth to what he terms networked media capital, a new form of media power that is both readily weaponized and distinctly damaging to the political information environment. Rich with empirically grounded theoretical insight, Hacking Hybrid Media is a must-read for scholars of political communication, media sociology, journalism, American democracy, and public discourse. * Sarah Sobieraj, Tufts University * As empirical research on media manipulation and disinformation has proliferated at a dizzying pace, social theory has been left behind. Thankfully, Stephen Barnard heard the call! Barnard rigorously engages this expansive research with an innovative analysis of how structural transformations of the networked public sphere have reconfigured relations of media and political power today. This incisive book will be a touchstone for social theorists for a long time to come. * Anthony Nadler, Ursinus College * Stephen Barnard's Hacking Hybrid Media provides a much-needed update on the changing dynamics of media power, and how this power is leveraged to manipulate publics. With this critical look at the hybrid media landscape -- its infrastructures, tools, practices -- Barnard makes an incisive contribution to our understanding of how and why the public sphere in the US is so broken. This is an essential book for anyone concerned with the media's influence on politics and publics. * Adrienne Russell, University of Washington * In this captivating read, Barnard delves into the intricate manipulative dynamics of digital communication. With finesse, he sheds light on how the hybrid media system's structures and cultures influence and promote resourceful individuals to engage in anti-democratic actions, jeopardizing our capacity to comprehend and disseminate information effectively. An essential book to understand what went wrong and how we can (try to) fix it. * Emiliano Treré, Cardiff University *