Media Work [Paperback]

The media are home to an eclectic bunch of people. This book is about who they are, what they do, and what their work means to them. Based on interviews with media professionals in the United States, New Zealand, South Africa, and The Netherlands, and drawing from both scholarly and professional literatures in a wide variety of disciplines, it offers an account of what it is like to work in the media today.

Media professionals face tough choices. Boundaries are drawn and erased: between commerce and creativity, between individualism and teamwork, between security and independence. Digital media supercharge these dilemmas, as industries merge and media converge, as audiences become co-creators of content online.

The media industries are the pioneers of the digital age. This book is a critical primer on how media workers manage to survive, and is essential reading for anyone considering a career in the media, or who wishes to understand how the media are made.

Preface vii

1 Liquid Life, Work, and Media 1

2 Creative Industries, Convergence Culture, and Media Work 45

3 Media Professions in a Digital Age 84

4 Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing Communications 113

5 Journalism 141

6 Film and Television Production 171

7 Game Design and Development 201

8 Conclusion: Liquid Media Work 233

Notes 243

References 250

Index 266

“Deuze ably synthesizes a wide range of sources, writes lucidly even as he marshals a considerable amount of detail, moves unjarringly between different media sectors and offers a valuable synoptic account of the major characteristic features of media work in the so-called digital age.”
European Journal of Communication