ABSTRACT
My use of the phrase “the shifting world” in the title of this chapter refers to the fluctuating, oscillating presence of images and words on television, on film, in the photographic essay, and most recently, on computer screens. This is a vast world of many “things”: popular culture, art, political exchange, sports events, social commentaries, information exchange, and unceasing interpretations of what are called “media events.” 1 When media is considered as a constellation of these kinds of representation, it is often believed to compete with and even surpass traditional non-media education in disseminating ideas, ideals, and values. In turn, there is a view among academic professors that higher education’s role is independent from media and that higher education is conceptually superior to the communicative processes and content of media institutions. This view, which commences with a standard of universal reason based on ideational and ideological intellect and the belief that print is superior to image, does not, however, take into account new theoretical constructs which are emerging in the study of media or the way in which media is positively impacting on higher education. From this latter perspective, media, such as television, for example, is regarded as effecting only a passive acceptance of its contents (Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Krugman, 1970). From this view media is approached critically and with caution.
