The Citizen Audience : Crowds Publics and Individuals

In this book, Richard Butsch focuses on the idea of audiences in three modes: as crowds, as publics, and as individuals. Drawing upon his background in the sociology of media and in American studies, he uses three key media moments - the late 19th early 20th century transition from stage to movies, the rise of radio, and the triumph of television - to examine ways in which audiences have always been understood by the media as political forces.