Television in theory

In: Media, Culture & Society, Band 19, Heft 2, S. 247-262

Abstract

This article conducts a `critical audit' on the range of theoretical work about television, asking questions about how television has variously been positioned within different political, cultural and social perspectives. After raising some preliminary questions about the nature and status of `theory' in relation to `research', it considers theoretical developments under four headings — representation, institution, medium and process — examining concepts and the use to which they have been put. Among other things, it notes the recent influence of postmodern thinking on the field and the shift towards consumption-focused studies. It concludes by suggesting some of the ways in which theoretical work on television might develop. It is critical of the particular legacy of speculative abstraction (theory as Theory) still observable in the field and recommends both clearer guidelines of theoretical accountability and a stronger relationship with empirical analysis.