Routledge Companion to Media and Class

This companion brings together scholars working at the intersection of media and class, with a focus on how understandings of class are changing in contemporary global media contexts.

From the memes of and about working-class supporters of billionaire "populists", to well-publicized and critiqued philanthropic efforts to bring communication technologies into developing country contexts, to the behind-the-scenes work of migrant tech workers, class is undergoing change both in and through media. Diverse and thoughtfully curated contributions unpack how media industries, digital technologies, everyday media practices―and media studies itself―feed into and comment upon broader, interdisciplinary discussions. They cover a wide range of topics, such as economic inequality, workplace stratification, the sharing economy, democracy and journalism, globalization, and mobility/migration.

Outward-looking, intersectional, and highly contemporary, The Routledge Companion to Media and Class is a must-read for students and researchers interested in the intersections between media, class, sociology, technology, and a changing world.

Erika Polson is Associate Professor in the department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies at the University of Denver, USA. Her research focuses on digital media and mobility in global contexts. She is author of Privileged Mobilities: Professional Migration, Geo-social Media, and a New Global Middle Class (2016).

Lynn Schofield Clark is Professor and Chair of the Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies and Director of the Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media at the University of Denver, USA. She is co-author most recently of the award-winning, Young People and the Future of News: Social Media and the Rise of Connective Journalism (2017). Clark serves as President of the Association of Internet Researchers.

Radhika Gajjala is Professor of American Culture Studies and Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University, USA. Her most recent book Digital Diasporas: Labor, Affect in Gendered Indian Digital Publics was published in 2019.