Customer Reviews

McQuail's Mass Communication Theory

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McQuail's masterful tome on communications theory is a respected standard for college students, and there's a reason this book has gone through so many editions. Just about everything a communications major will ever study is introduced and summarized here, and the number of different subjects covered is quite impressive. But on the flip side of that coin, there is a structural problem with cramming the material from four years worth of college courses into one book, no matter how robust it is. This text suffers from two inverse problems - there are too many subjects covered, while each one is not fleshed out enough. In short, it's impossible to be as inclusive as McQuail is attempting to be. Meanwhile, McQuail's writing is not only rushed and indistinct, which is predictable for a book that tries to consolidate an entire field of knowledge, but he is also guilty of dry, wooden prose and a severe shortage of elaborative examples. McQuail is also prone to textboxes and tables that appear helpful and illustrative at first, but are actually useless tabulated reproductions of exactly what has already been stated in prose form. This book's sheer exhaustive inclusiveness still makes it a useful encyclopedic reference work that communications students will find useful over the long term. But in the short term, this book merely offers indistinctness and confusion. [~doomsdayer520~]

It is true that this text is exceptionally broad in scope, but that is one reason why I like it. Professor McQuail's comprehensive volume is perfect for general interest students and serious readers who want an overview of mass communication theory, including the latest developments relative to the new digital technologies. This is a book that you will keep on your shelf for a long time and are likely to use as a starting place to direct your further research into a specific area of study.

The book is well organized and is more or less chronological, starting with the rise of mass communication and taking readers through developments until today. At the end of each chapter McQuail lists suggestions for further reading, including a separate section of online resources. It was a great help to me as I planned a management course focused on using global media for advocating social change.

As far as quibbles about McQuail's rather dry writing style, I did not find that to present a significant deterrent in making use of this book. It's true that he writes from an academic perspective, but that is usually how textbooks are written and, to my mind, to be expected.

McQuail's Mass Communication Theory is a very (very) comprehensive text for mass communication studies. It contains a great deal of information on mass comm theory, most of which is clear and concise. American students may need to be aware, however, of the differences in British language patterns. Those take some getting used to. I would recommend this book for future mass comm studies because the new format, updated since the previous version, is tighter and the summary boxes are helpful.

The book is almost brand new, and the price is soooo good~
Love it~

Well, if you are either a media study student or an orninary citizen, this book will be a fundamental guide for your understanding of the various social activities. Once you read the theories simply explained, you will notice what you have not realized how much you were influenced by the media themselves.

With the deep understanding of the media theories in the book, I bet you could enrich your life and prepare for the better life ahead.