The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America by Daniel J. Boorstin Vintage (1 September 1992) Amazon One of the best books I've read on media, ever. The Image examines how modern life became dominated by manufactured realities. Events, people, and experiences are created to be reported, promoted, and consumed. Author Daniel Boorstin argues that … Continue reading The Image
Testify
Cover art for Testify. Image via Atlantic Records. "No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself." -Seneca What do people tend to think of when they think of nu-metal? Aggressive, down-tuned riffs, combined with hip-hop beats and an industrial edge, with a guy rapping … Continue reading Testify
Bloggers Boot Camp
Bloggers Boot Camp: Learning How to Build, Write, and Run a Successful Blog by Charlie White and John Biggs Routledge (28 April 2014) Amazon Bloggers Boot Camp is a handbook aimed at anyone who wants to start a blog, or improve an existing one, with the goal of building an engaged audience. It's not so … Continue reading Bloggers Boot Camp
And Then There’s This
And Then There's This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture by Bill Wasik Penguin (31 August 2010) Amazon If there was ever a book that could be deftly summarised in the subtitle, it would be And Then There's This. It is exactly about "how stories live and die in viral culture." In a … Continue reading And Then There’s This
Regret the Error
Regret the Error: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech by Craig Silverman Union Square Press (3 February 2009) Amazon An influential book, and a good blog too. Regret the Error is about media accountability, journalistic mistakes, and why they matter. Known as an expert in fake news, Craig Silverman started his … Continue reading Regret the Error
On Charli XCX and “The Death of Cool”
Charli XCX. Image from Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images. I don't listen to Charli XCX, and I think the majority of Substacks are worthless boomerslop. Both of these factors should make it fairly obvious that I am not an ally to the British singer and songwriter. However, I do respect artists who dare to explore … Continue reading On Charli XCX and “The Death of Cool”
Discovering the News
Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers by Michael Schudson Basic Books (13 February 1981) Amazon One of Michael Schudson's most influential works, and a foundational text in media studies and the history of journalism, Discovering the News traces how American journalism developed. From the early partisan papers to the rise of "objective" … Continue reading Discovering the News
Technopoly
Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman Knopf (1 June 1993) Amazon First published in 1992, Technopoly is an essential text on media, describing a society in which technology is deified. That is, "the culture seeks its authorisation in technology, finds its satisfactions in technology, and takes its orders from technology." Prior … Continue reading Technopoly
See You on the Other Side
Korn at the MTV Asia Awards in Bangkok, Thailand 2006. Image from Wikipedia. "Getting into action generates inspiration. Don't cop out waiting for inspiration to get you back into action. It won't! … I leave you with one thought: It's not a compliment when someone tells you you're a survivor. It's bullshit. We're all survivors … Continue reading See You on the Other Side
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman Penguin (27 December 2005) Amazon Amusing Ourselves to Death is Neil Postman's 1985 text on media ecology, and the ways different mediums of communication shape human thought. Echoing Marshall McLuhan's theory on "the medium is the message," it details Postman's … Continue reading Amusing Ourselves to Death
Lawrence Deveney 