ABSTRACT
Media studies can be thought of therefore as a field of study rather than a discipline with its own discrete concepts, traditions and methods for doing research and finding things out. Media studies might also encompass examinations of the effect or influence that consuming media messages has on society in general or on individual audience members. This introduction also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to make the study of media 'come alive' for the reader and to get the reader engaged in media studies as an active process. There are three parts to the book: media texts; media production; media contexts. It presents a number of achievable activities and suggestions for research that the reader should complete if they wish to develop their skills of media analysis and theorisation.
