Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination

Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination starts with a basic premise: technology shapes and is shaped by the stories we tell about it. Stories about drones―at once anxious and hopeful, fearful and awe-inspired―are emblematic of the profound ambivalence that frequently accompanies the introduction of new technologies. Through critical analysis of a variety of cultural forms―from newspaper headlines, nightly newscasts, and documentary films, to advertising, entertainment media, and graphic arts―this book demonstrates the prevalence of drones in global battlefields and domestic airspace, public discourse, and the popular imagination. Written in a lively, engaging, and accessible style, Kevin Howley argues that media discourse plays a decisive role in shaping these new technologies, understanding their application in various spheres of human activity, and integrating them into everyday life. In doing so, Howley highlights the relationship between discursive and material practice in the social construction of technology.

Kevin Howley is Professor of Media Studies at DePauw University. His work has appeared in the Journal of Radio Studies, Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism, Social Movement Studies, and Television and New Media. He is author of Community Media: People, Places, and Communication Technologies (2005), and editor of Understanding Community Media (2010) and Media Interventions (2013).