Includes bibliographical references.

Annotated contents -- Preface -- Contributor bios -- Social Media Explosion: -- Do social media foster greater community engagement? -- Are social media making personal relationships more difficult? -- Are social media eroding privacy? -- Background: -- Social life -- Social media -- Social everywhere -- Who's in charge? -- Current Situation: -- Profits and control -- Limiting access -- Outlook: Changing expectations? -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Internet And Social Media: -- Competition-or not -- Privacy concerns -- Crime and sabotage -- Copyright for digital age -- Notes -- Social Media And Politics: -- Does online data mining threaten voters' privacy? -- Do social media cause political polarization? -- Do social media level the campaign-spending playing field? -- Background: -- Nascent revolution -- Empowering the people -- Conservative victories -- Current Situation: -- Courting 'likes' -- Incumbency edge -- Close and personal -- Outlook: Creative approaches -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Internet Regulation: -- Is Internet piracy harming the economy? -- Should Congress crack down harder on piracy? -- Should the government require Internet-Service Providers (IPs) to treat all websites the same? -- Background: -- Communication wars -- Copyright disputes -- Media converging -- Net neutrality -- Current Situation: -- Going dark -- Net neutrality in court -- Outlook: Continuing battles -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Internet And Media: -- TV industry -- Advertising innovations -- Cable merger -- Notes -- Big Data And Privacy: -- Do big data's benefits outweigh the risks? -- Is big data speeding the erosion of privacy? -- Should the federal government strengthen its regulation of big data -- Background: -- Data overload -- Birth of big data -- Data and politics -- Current Situation: -- Hunting criminals -- Reclaim your name -- Outlook: 'Internet Of Things' -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Future Of TV: -- Are fees too high for pay-TV? -- Does "cord-cutting" by cable/satellite consumers threaten TV's business model? -- Do pay-TV mergers benefit consumers? -- Background: -- Ditching the antenna -- Expanding channels -- Industry shake-up -- Streaming takes off -- Current Situation: -- Aereo case -- Regulatory complications -- Outlook: Digital shakeout -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Media Violence: -- Does media violence cause aggressive behavior? -- Are there benefits from media violence? -- Should the government regulate violence in media? -- Background: -- Early media -- Media debate expands -- Increasing pressures -- Current Situation: -- Federal efforts -- State efforts -- Latest research -- Outlook: Debate rages on -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Indecency On Television: -- Is there too much sex and vulgarity on television? -- Should the FCC relax enforcement of its indecency rules? -- Should the FCC regulate indecency on cable TV? -- Background: -- Loss of innocence -- Chilling effect? -- Long-time wait -- Current Situation: -- FCC's full plate -- Broadcasters' woes -- Outlook: Heinously difficult job -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Future Of Libraries: -- Will public libraries eventually lend only e-books? -- Will the library of the future be completely virtual? -- Should private companies run public libraries? -- Background: -- Members only -- Library movement -- Carnegie libraries -- Federal support -- Age of digitization -- Current Situation: -- Perfect storm -- Getting out the vote -- Disappearing librarians -- Federal funding -- Outlook: Digital future -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Digital Journalism: -- Do digital-only publications benefit readers? -- Do digital-only publications have drawbacks for readers? -- Will the new digital news sites succeed financially? -- Background: -- Changing technologies -- Exploiting the Web -- Gaining respect -- Current Situation: -- Starting up -- Going mobile -- Outlook: Golden age -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Media Bias: -- Should journalists try to be objective? -- Has the proliferation of media watchdog groups fostered perceptions of media bias? -- Are the media biased in favor of President Obama? -- Background: -- Journalism's 'dark ages' -- Penny papers -- Electronic media -- New media -- Blurring the lines -- Current Situation: -- Agenda-driven news -- Tweeting and more -- Outlook: Dizzying changes -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Free Speech At Risk: -- Has technology made speech freer? -- Should religious sensibilities be allowed to limit free expression? -- Should the United States promote free speech abroad? -- Background: -- Refusal to "Revoco" -- Controlling the press -- Expanding rights -- Current Situation: -- Government secrets -- Information explosion -- Regulating the press? -- Reporters under attack -- Outlook: Shame, not laws? -- Notes Bibliography -- Combat Journalism: -- Are news organizations doing enough to protect their journalists? -- Are new and better models of war reporting emerging? -- Have technological advances helped reporters working in war zones? -- Background: -- Risky reporting -- Targeting reporters -- Safer coverage -- Current Situation: -- New Worries -- Risk and responsibility -- Outlook: Ascending risk -- Notes -- Bibliography

Overview: For current coverage of controversial and important issues centering on media, look to the balanced reporting, completer overviews and engaging writing that CQ Researcher has consistently provided for more than eighty years. This brief reader allows students to see the links among media, culture, business and politics. Each article gives substantial background as well as current analysis of the issue, in addition to the following special features: a pro/con box that examines two competing sides of a single question; a detailed chronology; an annotated bibliography and Web resources; photos, charts, graphs and maps