"[This book] teaches students how to navigate through the overwhelming flood of information found in today’s media-saturated world. Drawing from thousands of media research studies, author W. James Potter explores key components to understanding the fascinating world of mass media. Potter presents ... examples and facts to help students understand how the media operate, how they attract attention, and how they influence the public. Chapters conclude with exercises to help readers apply the material to everyday life and improve their media literacy. The Tenth Edition integrates a stronger focus on digital media, features a streamlined organization, and updates facts to keep readers informed on the rapidly changing media phenomenon." (Publisher description) more

"In Major Theories of Media Effects, six major theories of media effects are thoroughly analyzed and then evaluated to construct a picture of the current state of knowledge about the scholarly field of media effects. These six theories are cultivation, agenda setting, framing, uses and gratification ... s, social learning, and third person effect. Each of these six theories is examined in detail using fourteen analytical dimensions organized into four categories: how the theory was originally conceptualized, its original components, patterns of empirical testing of its claims, and how the theory has developed over time. The theories are then compared and contrasted along five evaluation dimensions (scope, precision, heuristic value, empirical validity, and openness), plus one summary evaluative dimension that compares their overall utility to generating knowledge about media effects." (Back cover) more