Wiley-Blackwell The Small Screen: How Television Equips Us to Live in the Information Age

Television is one of the most important socializing forces in contemporary culture. This book is a cultural history of prime-time television in America during the 1990s. Examines changes that took place in programming, such as the rapid adoption of cable, the proliferation of content providers, the development of niche marketing, the introduction of high-definition television, the blurring of traditional genres, and the creation of new formats like reality-based programming Argues that television programmes of the 1990s afforded viewers a symbolic resource for negotiating the psychological challenges associated with the shift from the Industrial Age to the Information Age Explores the ways in which television provided viewers with tools for coming to terms with their fears about living in the fast-paced , increasingly diverse, information-laden society of the 90s Review “In The Small Screen, Brian L. Ott explores how US television of the 1990s met the Information Age. With theoretical clarity and acute critical analysis of content and form in the television experience, Ott illustrates how some Americans embraced the future through hyperconscious television while others celebrated the past through nostalgia. A breakthrough study.” Thomas W. Benson, Pennsylvania State University<!--end--> “Brian L. Ott’s book is accessible to students and valuable for professional scholars. It integrates a wide range of contemporary scholarship at a high level of sophistication without ever falling into jargon or postmodern dogma. This volume will be cutting edge in the rhetorical study of television.” Barry Brummett, University of Texas-Austin "...ultimately what is pleasing about Ott's book is its willingness to take television seriously…" M/C Reviews “Ott…hints at the coming identity crisis as the connected age replaces the information age. Summing Up: Recommended.” Choice “Ott’s distinctions between hyperconscious and nostalgic programming serve as fine distinctions for considering the cultural significance of television.” PsycCritiques From the Inside Flap Treating television as an important socializing force, this book examines how prime-time television in the 1990s equipped viewers to negotiate the transition from the industrial age to the information age. Jam-packed with examples, the book demonstrates how television aided viewers in confronting information overload, identity drift, the increasing pace of life, the guilt of feeling techno-illiterate, and cultural fragmentation. From the Back Cover Treating television as an important socializing force, this book examines how prime-time television in the 1990s equipped viewers to negotiate the transition from the industrial age to the information age. Jam-packed with examples, the book demonstrates how television aided viewers in confronting information overload, identity drift, the increasing pace of life, the guilt of feeling techno-illiterate, and cultural fragmentation. About the Author Brian L. Ott is a Professor of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University, and Director of the TTU Press. His chief research interest concerns how media equip people to live their everyday lives.