This handbook brings together an interdisciplinary roster of scholars to address a broad range of pressing contemporary issues and debates that are raised by contemporary political, economic, institutional, and technological changes. These changes include:
- Increased democratic instability, with many once-stable democracies appearing to lose their footing, and political leaders with clear anti-democratic tendencies finding greater success in achieving power
- A rapidly evolving media ecosystem, that has seen increased economic instability for legacy journalism, the rise of alternative (and more partisan) news sources, and increases in the production and circulation of disinformation
- Technological changes such as the rise of digital platforms as gateways to news, and the emerging role of artificial intelligence in the realms of media, politics, and culture
In response to these developments, the contributions to this volume address a wide range of topics, including: revisiting key norms and theoretical frameworks that guide research and policymaking; exploring causes and consequences of established and emerging inequities in media technology access and usage; examining the evolving dynamics of content creation; exploring the uses and abuses of data; analyzing the uses and impacts of artificial intelligence in the realms of media and politics; assessing the evolution of the production, circulation, and impact of disinformation; and considering the governance implications and strategies raised by these and other issues.