A new special issue: Old Against New, or a Coming of Age? Rethinking Broadcasting in an Era of Electronic Media

This special issue of the Journal of Broadcasting Electronic Media begins a new thread in the longstanding conversation about what it means for media to be "old" and "new". While this distinction is not one we should take for granted, the articles in this issue all demonstrate how we can strategically approach the intricate intersections and interconnections of different media -- both old and new.

 

The issue is groundbreaking in that it has been written and edited by graduate students - a group of scholars who we believe are uniquely situated to rethink both what it means for media to come of age and how to study such a phenomenon. Co-editor of the special issue, Airi Lampinen, previously a postdoctoral scholar at Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT said, "We were very impressed by the thoughtful and provocative work graduate students across many disciplinary fields contributed in response to our call. It is exciting to announce this special issue that pushes the conversation around new and old media to the next level."

 

The special issue collectively calls our attention not to the familiar trope of ‘‘old against new,’’ but rather to the tensions that arise around a ‘‘coming of age.’’ Presenting a wide range of international scholarship from graduate students across many different disciplinary backgrounds, topical literatures, methodological approaches, and theoretical frameworks, this special issue represents an emerging approach to what it means to study broadcasting in an era of electronic media.

 

“I would not be able to see this through without the editorial vision, insight, and talent of Airi Lampinen, R. Stuart Geiger, and Stacy Blasiola. I wanted us to produce an issue that is forward thinking, focuses on new and important questions, and does so with thought, innovation, and plenty of imagination,” said JOBEM editor Zizi Papacharissi. “Importantly, I saw this as a way of giving graduate students more voice and visibility in our field. And, I am very interested in encouraging new ways of examining old (and new) problems, and wanted to dedicate an issue of the journal to young and upcoming scholars.”

 

You can access the issue on the journal's website. The Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media is an international quarterly devoted to advancing research, knowledge, and understanding of communication and the electronic media.