All chapters in The Media Student’s Book try to give you a grasp on debates around key terms, rather than less satisfying ‘cut and dried’ definitions. But some areas need a whole section to themselves. These include such swift and globalised changes as the growth of interactive and social media, and how these affect the relation of news, documentary, 'public service' and entertainment forms within advertising and celebrity dominated media industries. Debates are also explored on the democratic potential and limits of ‘Web 2.0’ interactivity, as well as on whether and how to regulate these, and other media forms.

The debates chapters in the book are: