Sociological studies of the media. Contributions towards a socially-situated understanding of media and communication processes

This thesis contains ten chapters that together put forward a case for a renewed sociological approach to the study of media and communication. I argue that the increasing complexity of contemporary media and communication processes demands not only that sociology remains at the centre of research in this field but also that a particular sociological approach is needed that aims to uncover the way individuals take and make meaning from the social situations in which they find themselves. In seven of the chapters the research described is concerned with the work of journalists. The remaining three are concerned with the study of media audiences. Each chapter is self-contained but the thesis as a whole demonstrates an overarching interest in the nature of socially-situated human action, how this can be conceived theoretically and studied empirically, and how research conducted from within this perspective can help to build a fully-rounded understanding of media production and media use. The introduction outlines this approach and describes the contribution that each chapter makes to the case I wish to make.