Peter Dahlgren is Professor Emeritus of Media and Communication at Lund University, Sweden. Along with many works on public spheres, civic cultures and media theory, his recent publications include Media and Political Engagement (2009) and The Political Web (2013). Annette Hill is Professor of Media and Communication at Lund University, Sweden, and Visiting Professor at King’s College London. Her latest book is The Handbook of Mobile Socialities (with M. Hartmann and M. Andersson) and her next book is Roaming Audiences (2023).
Democracies depend upon engaged citizens, but what exactly does engagement entail? In this remarkably clear and insightful book, Peter Dahlgren and Annette Hill offer a rich definition of this widely used but commonly under-theorised concept. It will become a point of reference for many years to come. Stephen Coleman, Professor of Political Communication, University of Leeds, UK Media engagement is commodified, analyzed and mythologized, yet rarely is it fully understood. In the insightful book, Dahlgren and Hill explained how people engage with media to make sense of everyday life. In so doing, they tell stories, create myths, experience joy and sorry, and above all, they survive. Zizi Papacharissi, Professor of Political Science, University of Illinois-Chicago, USA