"Media and Society in the Twentieth Century captures the breathtaking revolutionary sweep of mass media in the last century. Utilizing historical and comparative perspectives, the authors emphasize the importance of contemporary media and explain why particular media systems exist.

The volume analyzes the socioeconomic contexts in which mass media originated; the institutional forms taken by evolving media; the relationships between media institutions and the state; and the interrelationships between different media."--BOOK JACKET.