Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the ’mass media’. The subject varies greatly in theoretical and methodological focus, but may be broadly divided into three interrelated areas: the critique of artistic styles and aesthetic forms (genre, narrative, and so on), the study of the production process (e.g. technologies and markets), and sociological analysis (of ideological effects, reception and consumption, etc.).

Media studies draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, and overlap in interests with related disciplines like mass communication, communication, communication sciences and communication studies. Researchers develop and employ theories and methods from disciplines including cultural studies, rhetoric, philosophy, literary theory, psychology, political science, political economy, economics, sociology, anthropology, social theory, art history and criticism, film theory, and information theory.

In addition to the interdisciplinary nature of the academic field, popular understandings of media studies encompass:

• Online communication
• journalism
• mass communication
• media influence
• creative industries
• political economy
• cultural studies
• media production
• media psychology