Value and the Media: Cultural Production and Consumption in Digital Markets

Value is seldom discussed in its own right, though it is of utmost importance to our relations with media texts and cultural objects, as we constantly make judgements of various kinds with respect to them. This book focuses on how value - aesthetic, political and social and economic value - is produced in contemporary media and cultural production. Contending that value is not constituted by the essence of a thing, but is rather produced in social relations, through negotiations and justifications, Value and the Media discusses changes in the cultural industries over the past two decades, emphasising the rise of new, digital media, and the opportunities that these afford for the production and consumption of media texts and objects. Richly illustrated with examples from the UK, USA and Europe, this volume explores a range of media: both old mass media and new personal media, with a constant focus on the importance of both for our understanding of the changes that have occurred on the media landscape and their implications for the production of value. As such, this book will be of interest to social scientists and theorists working in the fields of cultural and media studies, popular culture, and consumption.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction; Media production and culture industries; Fields of cultural production and consumption; New organisational forms of value production; New roles for media users: the work of consumption; New textual expressions and patterns of narration; The production and consumption of signs; Digital markets and value; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Göran Bolin is Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University, Sweden

Review :
'Göran Bolin is one of our most complete analysts of culture. He is a truly interdisciplinary scholar. In this pathbreaking volume, Bolin interrogates one of the key questions of our time - what is value? Transcending the existing terms of this debate, he offers new way forward, synthesizing theory and research in a remarkable way.' Toby Miller, author of Television Studies 'Goran Bolin is something rare: a media and cultural studies scholar who draws intensively on social theory and cares deeply about getting the theory right. His new book, clearly written and rich in examples, clarifies and advances the debates about value that underlie the culture industries. Essential reading for students on media, cultural studies and cultural sociology courses.' Nick Couldry, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK ’There is a tremendous amount of material packed into this relatively short book. Drawing on two decades of Bolin’s work, it is a clear and enjoyable analysis of media production and consumption in a digital era, focusing on the way that media create value... The work is thoroughly grounded theoretically, though balanced with plenty of examples...’ Media International Australia