Abílio Almeida – författare

Is laughter a sin? Or is it man’s best medicine? Is laughter now trivialised, mechanised or even weaponised by contemporary media? This book explores the social history of laughter in the West, from classical antiquity to the present day.Engaging with a range of thought from Plato to Nietzsche, it moves from classical to modern thought, considering the changing emotional climate of societies – including the postmodern "dictatorship of happiness" – and the role played by the technological changes of the last century in shaping our interpretation of laughter.A broad, historical study of the physical and emotional aspects of laughter, as well as its social role, A Cultural History of Laughter will appeal to scholars of sociology, history and cultural studies, among other fields of knowledge.

The book is divided into two sections: one focusing on the phenomenon of television and the other on audiences. It argues that television is changing from a singular object, fixed in a particular place, to a social phenomenon distributed across many devices and platforms. It also argues that audiences are increasingly demanding an ‘open relationship’ with television, as their attention is often distributed across multiple devices and platforms simultaneously. In addition to these aspects, we analyse the evolution of television since its inception, the need for a renewed public service 2.0 in tune with our times, the increasing dominance of talk shows and infotainment, and the new power of television combined with artificial intelligence. These and many other topics are covered in this book, which will be of interest to television professionals, academics in sociology, media studies, and various other fields.