Cultural & media studies

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  • The New Censorship

    £12.99

    In recent years, journalists have been dismissed by some or targeted for abuse, mainstream news has been consumed by ‘infotainment’ and clickbait, driven by profits, accused of being too cosy with political and economic elites. But at times of democratic decay all over the world, with relentless attempts to undermine truth and facts, and unprecedented technological tools to spread disinformation and incite violence – brave journalism is needed more than ever. ‘The New Censorship’ focuses on the unfortunate and unexpected mechanisms through which today’s media has inadvertently amplified the anti-democratic movement that looms over our societies.

  • The Sirens’ Call

    £12.99

    A Barack Obama Summer Reading Pick 2025 From New York Times bestselling author and television and podcast host, a powerful, wide-angle reckoning with how the assault from attention capitalism on our minds and our hearts has reordered our politics and the very fabric of our society. We all feel it — the distraction, the loss of focus, the addictive focus on the wrong things for too long. We bump into the zombies on their phones in the street, and sometimes they’re us. We stare in pity at the four people at the table in the restaurant, all on their phones, and then we feel the buzz in our pocket. Something has changed utterly: for most of human history, the boundary between public and private has been clear, at least in theory. Now, as Chris Hayes writes, ‘With the help of a few tech firms, we basically tore it down in about a decade.’ Hayes argues that we are in the midst of an epoch-defining transition: attention has become a com

  • A Sudden Flicker of Light

    £25.00

    There are few greater film lovers than David Thomson who, over fifty years, has built a reputation as one of the wisest and most penetrating voices on the art form. But every flicker of light has its shadow. In this profound reckoning, Thomson confronts the dark side of the movies – responsible for creating an alternate reality and fantasyland that has only deepened the isolation and disconnection of our society over the course of a century. Thomson explores the high and low points of film history with his usual brilliant insight – sharp and arresting readings of movies from Metropolis to Rear Window to The Godfather can be found in these pages. But he also shows the ways in which our love of voyeurism and villainy, and the passivity which the movies further engender, have led to a coarsening not just of a medium, but of the larger culture, including our political life.