Greening the Media
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You will never look at your cell phone, TV, or computer the same way after reading this book. Greening the Media not only reveals the dirty secrets that hide inside our favorite electronic devices; it also takes apart the myths that have pushed these gadgets to the center of our lives. Marshaling an astounding array of economic, environmental, and historical facts, Maxwell and Miller debunk the idea that information and communication technologies (ICT) are clean and ecologically benign. The authors show how the physical reality of making, consuming, and discarding them is rife with toxic ingredients, poisonous working conditions, and hazardous waste. But all is not lost. As the title suggests, Maxwell and Miller dwell critically on these environmental problems in order to think creatively about ways to solve them. They enlist a range of potential allies in this effort to foster greener media--from green consumers to green citizens, with stops along the way to hear from exploited workers, celebrities, and assorted bureaucrats. Ultimately, Greening the Media rethinks the status of print and screen technologies, opening new lines of historical and social analysis of ICT, consumer electronics, and media production.Features
- Identifies the media's complicity in environmental pollution, illustrating how information technology contributes to the global ecological crisis
- Lays out a plan for change and sustainability in various media industries
- Examines hot-button issues such as global-warming, cellphone safety, and technological waste
Reviews
"Someone once said that people should never go into the kitchen of a restaurant where they enjoy eating. Toby Miller and Richard Maxwell take us into the electronic media's kitchen, and the food will never taste the same again. In a brilliant, even stunning, expose of the environmental practices and impact of media corporations, Greening the Media is one of the most important media books in years. Extremely readable and entertaining, this highly original and well-researched book should be mandatory reading for everyone with a cell phone or a flat-screen television." --Robert W. McChesney, coauthor of The Death and Life of American Journalism
About the Author(s)
Richard Maxwell is Professor and Chair of Media Studies at Queens College, City University of New York.
Toby Miller is Distinguished Professor of Media & Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside.
