Stephen R. Barnard – författare

The contemporary public sphere is rife with problematic information, but on what terms are manipulators able to garner attention in the hybrid media system? In Hacking Hybrid Media, Stephen R. Barnard examines how networked media capital is changing the fields of politics and journalism. With a focus on the messaging strategies employed by Donald Trump and his most vocal online supporters, Barnard provides a theoretically oriented and empirically grounded analysis of the ways today's media afford deceptive political communication. Analyzing data from prominent political events, Barnard shows how members of Trump's "digital army" use Facebook groups, Reddit forums, Twitter hashtags, YouTube channels, mass media, and more to shape the flow of disinformation in American media.From the structures of social media platforms to the practices of political actors, Barnard offers a critical appraisal of media power and the capital required to wield it. He reflects not only on the tools and techniques of manipulative media campaigns, but also on the implications they hold for the future of journalism, politics, and democracy in the US and beyond. In striking a balance between social theory and empirical research, Hacking Hybrid Media shows how the emergent structures and practices of the contemporary media system shape how information flows, how meaning is made, and ultimately, how networked social influence works.

The contemporary public sphere is rife with problematic information, but on what terms are manipulators able to garner attention in the hybrid media system? In Hacking Hybrid Media, Stephen R. Barnard examines how networked media capital is changing the fields of politics and journalism. With a focus on the messaging strategies employed by Donald Trump and his most vocal online supporters, Barnard provides a theoretically oriented and empirically grounded analysis of the ways today's media afford deceptive political communication. Analyzing data from prominent political events, Barnard shows how members of Trump's "digital army" use Facebook groups, Reddit forums, Twitter hashtags, YouTube channels, mass media, and more to shape the flow of disinformation in American media.From the structures of social media platforms to the practices of political actors, Barnard offers a critical appraisal of media power and the capital required to wield it. He reflects not only on the tools and techniques of manipulative media campaigns, but also on the implications they hold for the future of journalism, politics, and democracy in the US and beyond. In striking a balance between social theory and empirical research, Hacking Hybrid Media shows how the emergent structures and practices of the contemporary media system shape how information flows, how meaning is made, and ultimately, how networked social influence works.

From TV to smartphone apps to movies to newspapers, mass media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this introduction to media sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about the power of big media companies, state-media relations, new developments in journalism, representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media, and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains, among other topics. Each chapter explores pressing questions about media by carefully excavating the results of classic and contemporary social scientific studies. The authors bring these findings to life with anecdotes and examples ripped from headlines and social media newsfeeds. By synthesizing research on new media and traditional media, entertainment media and news, quantitative and qualitative studies, All Media Are Social offers a succinct and accessibly-written analysis of both enduring patterns and some of the newest developments in mass media. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape.

From TV to smartphone apps to movies to newspapers, mass media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this introduction to media sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about the power of big media companies, state-media relations, new developments in journalism, representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media, and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains, among other topics. Each chapter explores pressing questions about media by carefully excavating the results of classic and contemporary social scientific studies. The authors bring these findings to life with anecdotes and examples ripped from headlines and social media newsfeeds. By synthesizing research on new media and traditional media, entertainment media and news, quantitative and qualitative studies, All Media Are Social offers a succinct and accessibly-written analysis of both enduring patterns and some of the newest developments in mass media. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape.

From streaming platforms to smartphone apps to good old-fashioned newspapers, media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this new edition of Introduction to Media Sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about topics such as the power of big media companies; state–media relations; politics and journalism; representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media; and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains. Each chapter explores pressing questions about media by synthesizing insights from classic and contemporary social scientific research, both quantitative and qualitative, with examples drawn from new and traditional media from across the globe. The second edition reflects the evolving power of Big Tech firms, the proliferation of misinformation, and voices from outside the mainstream. It also features a new chapter on generative artificial intelligence that addresses its potential to disrupt the creation, distribution, and reception of media, including by supercharging scams, deepfakes, and hate speech, or by reshaping social relationships. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard once again provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape.

From streaming platforms to smartphone apps to good old-fashioned newspapers, media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this new edition of Introduction to Media Sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about topics such as the power of big media companies; state–media relations; politics and journalism; representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media; and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains. Each chapter explores pressing questions about media by synthesizing insights from classic and contemporary social scientific research, both quantitative and qualitative, with examples drawn from new and traditional media from across the globe. The second edition reflects the evolving power of Big Tech firms, the proliferation of misinformation, and voices from outside the mainstream. It also features a new chapter on generative artificial intelligence that addresses its potential to disrupt the creation, distribution, and reception of media, including by supercharging scams, deepfakes, and hate speech, or by reshaping social relationships. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard once again provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape.

Drawing insights from nearly a decade of mixed-method research, Stephen R. Barnard analyzes Twitter’s role in the transformation of American journalism. As the work of media professionals grows increasingly hybrid, Twitter has become an essential space where information is shared, reporting methods tested, and power contested. In addition to spelling opportunity for citizen media activism, the normalization of digital communication adds new channels of influence for traditional thought leaders, posing notable challenges for the future of journalism and democracy. In his analyses of Twitter practices around newsworthy events—including the Boston Marathon bombing, protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and the election of Donald Trump—Barnard brings together conceptual and theoretical lenses from multiple academic disciplines, bridging sociology, journalism, communication, media studies, science and technology studies, and political science.