This up-to-date, reader-friendly presentation of the mass media helps instructors use the media to teach the media and explore its excitement, complexity, and impact on our lives. Widely praised for his ability to make learning interesting, Vivian excites students as they explore the ever-changing subject of mass communication. This edition retains the emphasis on the challenges of today's media while building on its extensive coverage of media history, effects, and culture. The coverage of media literacy, an underlying theme since the first edition, has been enhanced with a new feature. The three part-organizationthe media, media messages, and media issueshas been strengthened by the addition of a totally new chapter on entertainment to balance the coverage of other types of media messages.