Beyond New Media

Beyond New Media makes a noteworthy contribution to the study of communication and media. It is a conversational, exploratory, and accessible text that offers wise insights into/about contemporary media use. It is an important resource for researchers interested in technology, social media, and interaction, as well as an ideal text to use in courses covering these areas. * Iowa Journal of Communication *
Herbig, Herrmann, Tyma, and their colleagues provide a text that reaches through dualistic and reductivist interpretations of “new” media and into a world of fragmented streams of communication structured by multiple discourses—polymediation. The framework of polymediation provides an overarching perspective to tie together diverse scholarly pursuits. The authors have created a touchstone for both future research and practical applications by providing a deep interrogation of the historical and critical roots of polymedia while maintaining accessibility for the reader. In addition, through the reproduction of mediated conversations between themselves, the authors open up a window into the mundane processes that lead to stimulating theoretical breakthroughs. -- Breanna McEwan, Western Illinois University