Multiplicities and the subject: Rethinking a mix-of-attributes approach in the digital world
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Date
2015-01-01
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
Rights
This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) license.
Abstract
It has been 30 years since Clark made his call to focus on fundamental structures of media rather than media formats (such as radio or television) and more than 10 years since Eveland proposed a mix-of-attributes approach to media effects. This article suggests that it is time for a reevaluation of the mix-of-attributes approach, noting that there is a continued focus on format when studying media content. We argue for rethinking the assumptions that preempt a mix-of-attributes approach. As a way of accounting for the complexities of how messages move in the digital media ecology, beyond the constraints of singular media formats, we first invoke the concept of multiplicities (concurrent engagement with multiple information sources) and then propose that the role of the subject be foregrounded within a revised mix-of-attributes approach to studying media effects in the digital age.
Description
Keywords
mix-of-attributes, MoA, digitization, form, content, subject, multiplicities, method
Citation
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, 2015, 9 pp. 694 - 709