This book offers an original analysis of the primacy of media spectacle in the politics, social history, and major events of the 21st century which highlights the importance of critical analysis and interpretation of broadcasting, the Internet, and social meaning in understanding the key historical events and the multiple factors that produce them during the contemporary era. The text explores how broadcasting and digital media constitute the major media spectacles of our time and how they in turn present the key issues, challenges, conflicts, and problems of the present era. Thus understanding broadcasting and digital media help us to understand our contemporary society, politics, and culture and to play a more active role in understanding and participating in our contemporary media societies and environments. Kellner argues throughout for the need for critical media and digital literacies to empower students and citizens to become active participants in our media society and technoculture and to understand the key events and challenges of contemporary life.

Douglas Kellner has been researching, writing about, and lecturing upon the major topics and studies in this book for the last several decades and this book brings together key aspects of his work on theorizing, analyzing, and evaluating the role of effects of major media spectacles of the 21st century.