Interactive Media and Society

Book excerpt: A 2023 Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic Title In this book, Corinne M. Dalelio analyzes how the rise of interactive media over the last few decades has had enormous impacts on every aspect of American society—the ways in which we organize, produce, consume, engage, entertain, and inform. Yet the vestiges of the one-way, broadcast model of the media industries continue to be primary, prominent, and persuasive in our culture, Dalelio argues. This book offers clarity and insight into the current media landscape by first outlining what it is that makes interactive media distinct from that which came before, and then identifying the harmonies and tensions between media systems—new and old—as they operate in various communicative contexts still in flux. These contexts include art, journalism, activism, marketing, and even the public sphere. Dalelio encourages readers to hone their critical digital literacy skills by supplying them with analytical concepts and theoretical principles that can be applied, regardless of how these tools change or evolve, ultimately enabling more thoughtful and meaningful interactive media usage and consumption. Elucidated throughout with interesting and relevant narrative examples, this book offers an engaging and straightforward presentation of the current scholarly understanding of these tools along with practical tips for navigating the challenges of our complex media ecosystem. Scholars of media studies, communication, sociology, and American studies will find this book particularly useful.