Mass Communication Theory, Laying Foundations for the Future

Abstract

Based on my experience editing the second edition of the classic textbook McQuail's Media including Mass Communication Theory (McQuail & Deuze, 2020), this article will examine the topic of media studies and mass communication research. By adapting McQuail's approach to historical narrative, I examine the difficulty of the field in the context of a simultaneous global pandemic and infodemic, when people all over the world are dealing with the fallout of frequent lockdowns, social distancing measures, as well as institutional pressures to stay indoors. Although the fields of media studies or (mass) communication research have their own tale to tell, the discipline as a whole has only recently began to communicate the importance of their work to society. The article addresses difficulties and possibilities for what we can accomplish with our profession by using advances in self-understanding as a research tool, the application of integrative research methodologies, and demands for active and public scholarship.