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The arrival on the scene of the study of mass emergencies and risk analysis has represented an important step forward in the world of communication, not only because of its theoretical aspects, but also because of its ability to influence policy formulation. Many researchers and scholars of mass emergencies and risk analysis today agree on focusing their research activities on communication. Communication is seen as a social process, something which is fundamental to the understanding of both crisis management and of the various activities which precede and follow crises themselves. On the other hand, information, as a product of communication, is merchandise which has great importance in many of our relationships, both on a micro and macro level. This brief account aims to stimulate the debate that is already active in the scientific community and also to provide food for thought as to the working tools used in research that is constantly face-to-face with empirical reality.

Introduction: media studies gone wrong -- 1. Two trajectories : the rise of mass media and computing -- 2. The material revolution : becoming digital -- 3. The ecological revolution : convergence and hybridity -- 4. The cultural revolution : the post-broadcast era -- 5. The me-dia revolution : the second reformation -- 6. Mass media studies : the rise of duck science -- 7. The emperor's old clothes : why media studies didn't work -- 8. Upgrading the discipline : media studies 2.0 -- 9. The 21st century discipline : user studies and the productive turn -- 10. Open-sourcing knowledge : towards a university 2.0 -- 11. Conclusion : 'shit just got real'.

The psychological and socio-economic implications of digital technologies call for scholarship that engages questions about the nature of human consciousness, the construction of the self and the ethics of technical development. In this article, I outline a framework for an approach called contemplative media studies. This approach incorporates several different scholarly threads, namely: via critical political-economic media scholarship, a focus on achieving social and economic justice through policy initiatives and structural reform ; via media and religious scholarship, an interest in the religious dimensions of digital culture and the role of media in shaping religious identity ; and via contemplative studies, an appreciation of the applicability of contemplative principles to research methods and theory. This framework allows us to examine the spiritual ideology that drives the construction of commercial digital platforms and to ask whether alternative platforms might better catalyze human development. Anchored in a critical commitment to socio-economic justice, contemplative media studies is aimed at articulating an ethically-responsive and economically-sustainable architecture of human flourishing.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Chapters by Topic (Medium) -- Introduction -- 1. Kickstarting Community -- 2. After School Special Education -- 3. Throw Yo' Voice Out -- 4. How to Stare at Your Television -- 5. Prosthetic Heroes -- 6. "It's Not Just Sexism" -- 7. One of Us? -- 8. Disability, Global Popular Media, and Injustice in the Trial of Oscar Pistorius -- 9. Autism in Translation -- 10. How to Get through the Day with Pain and Sadness -- 11. Any Day Now -- 12. The Price of the Popular Media Is Paid by the Effluent Citizen -- 13. Disability and Biomediation -- 14. "A Blessed Boon" -- 15. Afterword I -- 16. Afterword II -- Bibliography -- About the Contributors -- Index

Introduces key ideas and offers a sense of the new frontiers and questions in the emerging field of disability media studies Disability Media Studies articulates the formation of a new field of study, based in the rich traditions of media, cultural, and disability studies. Necessarily interdisciplinary and diverse, this collection weaves together work from scholars from a variety of disciplinary homes, into a broader conversation about exploring media artifacts in relation to disability. The book provides a comprehensive overview for anyone interested in the study of disability and media today. Case studies include familiar contemporary examples--such as Iron Man 3, Lady Gaga, and Oscar Pistorius--as well as historical media, independent disability media, reality television, and media technologies. The contributors consider disability representation, the role of media in forming cultural assumptions about ability, the construction of disability via media technologies, and how disabled audiences respond to particular media artifacts. The volume concludes with afterwords from two different perspectives on the field--one by disability scholar Rachel Adams, the other by media scholars Mara Mills and Jonathan Sterne--that reflect upon the collection, the ongoing conversations, and the future of disability media studies. Disability Media Studies is a crucial text for those interested in this flourishing field, and will pave the way for a greater understanding of disability media studies and its critical concepts and conversations.