Life Without Media

In light of the crisis surrounding traditional media and the radical changes resulting from the advent of the Internet and the social media, various media outlets have argued, or more subtly, hinted at the demise of the printed news, or the end of traditional media. This backdrop forms the genesis for this thought-provoking and provocative volume for imagining life without media.
While there is some skepticism toward the radical hypothesis of the death of the media, there is mounting concern, at the same time, regarding the changing media space(s) and the relevance of the media’s roles and places in different and diverse social spheres. Unanimously, contributors report that while these roles and places have changed, the difficulty lies in where and how to delineate them. The chapters provide some answers to the hypothesis of life without media, and in many instances raise new questions and doubts.

Klaus Zilles is an associate professor at the Blanquerna School of Communication Studies and International Relations at Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Spain. He holds a PhD in English and German Philology from the University of Heidelberg. He has authored Rolando Hinojosa: A Reader's Guide (2001) and co-edited, with Fernando Clemot, En la frontera: i migliori racconti della narrativa chicana (2008).
Eva Comas is a journalist and has a PhD in Communication Studies from Ramon Llull University. She is the author of La ràdio en essència (2009) and her most recent publications (co-authored) are «Un mundo sin periódicos» (A World without Newspapers) (2010) and «Advertising Characteristics and Strategies in Prime Time Sports Broadcasts» (2011). She has worked as a media consultant for the Catalonian government (la Generalitat de Catalunya) and for the president of Ramon Llull University.
Joan Cuenca is a strategic consultant and faculty member of the department of Advertising and Public Relations at the Blanquerna School of Communication Studies and International Relations. He holds a PhD in Communication Studies from Ramon Llull University, Spain, and his most recent book is Auditorías de Relaciones Públicas (2012). He is a founding member of the research group ESTISMA (Strategy and Issues Management in Public Relations and Corporate Communication).