Media and Society: A Critical Perspective

Part of Rowman & Littlefield's new series of condensed texts for mass communication courses, this work runs the gamut from linguist Roman Jakobson's and political scientist Harold Lasswell's communication models to Marshall McLuhan's""the medium is the message"" theory. Because Berger, a communications professor emeritus at San Francisco State University, quotes more than he hypothesizes on his own, the book feels like an anthology. It serves as a generally thorough overview of mass communication theories, attempting to present both sides of scholastic arguments, and includes a helpful glossary. Unfortunately, however, the writing is flaccid and poorly organized. Berger divides chapters into short, shallow sub-sections and supplements them with often-random epigraphs, redundant charts and simplistic illustrations. When the author does hazard an opinion, it falls flat for lack of evidence, coherence and conviction. General readers looking for an insightful look at the relationship between media and society should look elsewhere.