The Age of Television

Translated from Italian by Jennifer Radice.


At an evolutionary stage in televisual history, Buonanno’s The Age of Television considers the impact of television on daily life over the past 50 years, concentrating on the concepts and theories of the medium. As television threatens to intrude upon our daily lives more than ever, through cellular phones, and thousands of digital channels, The Age of Television takes a careful look at the influence of this media form on modern life. Television plays an important part in its viewers’ lives, making links between cultures, individuals and events, and offering the viewer a multitude of choices and opportunities.
The book analyzes the way in which television has radically altered the human perception of place and time, considering the way that television fuels the collective imagination and how it contributes to contemporary media-focused society. Buonanno asserts that television theories are crucial tools for understanding the medium and its effect on society.

The Age of Television reads as an original comprehensive academic essay making it an essential volume for a scholarly readership and audiences with an interest in media. Drawing on classic media theories, it also offers a fresh look at television’s dominance of Western culture and provides an optimistic perspective on the possibilities of the small screen.