Since media is omnipresent in our lives, it is crucial to understand the complex means and dimensions of media in history, and how we have arrived at the current digital culture. Media in History addresses the...

Since media is omnipresent in our lives, it is crucial to understand the complex means and dimensions of media in history, and how we have arrived at the current digital culture. Media in History addresses the increasing multidisciplinary need to comprehend the meanings and significances of media development through a variety of different approaches. Providing a concise, accessible and analytical synthesis of the history of communications, from the evolution of language to the growth of social media, this book also stresses the importance of understanding wider social and cultural contexts. Although technological innovations have created and shaped media, Kortti examines how politics and the economy are central to the development of communication. 

Media in History will benefit undergraduate and graduate history and media studies students who want to understand the complex structures of media as a historical continuum and to reflect on their own experiences with that development.

• Provides a practical introduction to the history of media, combined with a strong scholarly approach
• Approaches the development of media thematically: what role has the media played in the public sphere and democracy; commerce and politics; modernity; everyday life; and the world view?
• Shows media development as an evolution rather than a revolution, dispelling the myth that we now live in an extraordinary time that has had no parallels in the history of media
• Discusses different ways of studying media in history
• Includes case studies and learning objectives