Raymond Williams and the Sociology of Media Cultures

Reading Television (1974)

Abstract

Raymond Williams, known for his pioneering work in cultural studies, applied the method of literary critique to studying popular culture. This article focuses on some important views and methods from his studies on mass media, which have not been appropriately recognized in the sociology of media culture. In Television : Technology and Cultural Form (1974), Williams traces the development of various technologies that are related to television, and studies how characteristics of cultural forms such as theater, novel, and newspapers are incorporated in television production. Williams observes that flow, a important characteristic of television broadcasting, exists as well in the everyday lives of television audience and that it carries culturally specific meanings and values. By analyzing the various forms of television, Williams traces the interactions between technology, culture and society. His historical perspective and analyses of television forms provide some original views and method to hitherto media studies.