New from Nomos: The English-language Handbook of Media Use

Nomos has recently published the English-language Handbook of Media Use, edited by Holger Schramm, Volker Gehrau, Helena Bilandzic, and Carsten Wünsch, which also includes two chapters by ZeMKI members Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp, Dr. Philip Sinner, and Simon Sax.

Nomos has recently published the English-language Handbook of Media Use, edited by Holger Schramm, Volker Gehrau, Helena Bilandzic, and Carsten Wünsch.
The volume also includes two chapters by ZeMKI members Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp & Dr. Philip Sinner on “Media use and practice in communities and for communitisation” (IV.2) and by ZeMKI member Simon Sax together with Prof. Dr. Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz on “Media use in a historical context” (IV.3).

Media use and practice in communities and for communitisation (Andreas Hepp & Philip Sinner):

The chapter examines the concepts of community and communitisation in the context of everyday media practices. It distinguishes between two basic forms of community building: local and translocal. Both, however, are increasingly intertwined through processes of mediatiza tion. Building on this distinction, the chapter discusses different types of communities in relation to the media: local communities such as interpretive communities, families, circles of friends, peer groups, and cliques; and translocal communities such as the nation, Europe, diasporas, fan communities, social movements, and religious communities. The chapter concludes by address ing recent topics in media and communication research, including the polymedia character of contemporary community building, studies on platform collectivities, and research on technolo gy-related communities.

Keywords: community, communitisation, mediatization, collectivity, media practices, belonging

This chapter is based on the German-language article “Medienrezeption, Gemeinschaft und Vergemeinschaftung” in V. Gehrau, H. Schramm, H. Bilandzic, & C. Wünsch (Eds.), Medienrezeption. Nomos Handbuch (pp. 593–612) 2., updated and expanded edition. Nomos. However, it represents a fundamental revision tailored to the conditions and needs of the British and U.S. markets, particularly through the adaptation of all cited literature. 

Media use in a historical context (Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz & Simon Sax):

The chapter deals with practices of historical media use – specifically: media-based viewing, reading and listening – in the respective historical and media-technological context. Constellations of media usage are described and categorised over the course of three centuries. The micro level (individual reception and use, acting with media, usage needs and their group and community relationships), the meso level (media organisations and the formation of audiences) and the macro level (societal, social, political, media-systemic and economic conditions and con sequences) of such constellations are taken into account. Media use in the German dictatorships form one focus of the chapter. It is accompanied by considerations on how the history of media usage, which is characterised by severe source deficits, can be written. This article focuses on Germany and contextualises German developments within an international framework.

Keywords: history of media usage, media history, communication history, media use research, media use in German dictatorships