The Cultural Industries
- David Hesmondhalgh - University of Leeds, UK
Bringing together a huge range of research, theory and key concepts, David Hesmondhalgh provides an accessible yet critical exploration of cultural production and consumption in the global media landscape. This new edition:
- Analyses the influence of IT and tech companies like Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook on the cultural industries.
- Discusses the impact of digital technologies on industries such as music, TV, newspapers, books and digital games.
- Explores the effects of digitalisation on culture, discussing critical issues like participation, power, commercialism, surveillance, and labour.
- Examines the changing conceptions of audiences, and the increasing influence of market research, audience tracking and advertising.
As one of the most read, most studied and most cited books in the field, this Fourth Edition is an essential resource for students and researchers of media and communication studies, the cultural and creative industries, cultural studies and the sociology of the media.
The Cultural Industries is one of those rare books that is accessible to students and essential for scholars. Hesmondhalgh integrates an analysis of both the changes and continuities within cultural industries in a way that is far too rare in scholarship in this field.
A masterful text that lays out the intellectual foundation for the contemporary study and understanding of cultural industries. Thoroughly updated, this edition maintains its original framework and reflects the expanding boundaries of its subject matter to consider both new digital industries and the extension of existing media industries into internet distribution.
The publication of the 4th edition of The Cultural Industries reminds us just how important this book has been over the last decade and a half. In a period of great turbulence and far reaching transformations, we have had an almost 'real-time' charting of these industries across a vast literature, from frothily optimistic to dour doom-mongering. This edition brings us up to date, with important additions on 'digital' disruption and on the rise of China. As always, Hesmondhalgh shows us the long term continuities in the industries and, more importantly, what is at stake in the production and circulation of the meanings by which we make sense of the world.
The book is essential for understanding the media and creative industries better. Any course and study program in the area can benefit from a reflective appreciation of the subject for which the book offers a sublime comprehensive overview.
I found the book difficult to use. I would not recommend it for this reason. For my purposes it was too difficult to find the relevant sections.
The fourth edition of this classic book certainly provides various essential readings for students of media and communication. I'm particularly interested in the way the book tackles questions around participation, surveillance, power and labour. While, the whole book provides a fascinating and rather comprehensive perspective on the cultural industries, I will only be using sections from this text, as first-year students will only focus on certain aspects of cultural production and consumption.
The Cultural Industries offers a prime basis for a course such as Cultural Studies, with up-to-date chapters on the consequences of the digital networks. It can be both read extensively or used instrumentally thanks to the very complete index.
