Elizaveta Friesem
  • About
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    • Media is us >
      • Principles of communication
      • Micro- and macropower
      • ACE model
      • Description of chapters
      • When conflicts get out of control
    • Hypertexts >
      • Me, looking for meaning >
        • A >
          • Anxiety
          • Am I strong or am I weak?
        • B >
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          • D >
            • Depression
            • Do children ask themselves about the purpose of life?
            • Doing the right thing
        • E >
          • C >
            • Can I give myself credit for being empathetic?
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        • F >
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        • G >
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          • How much do we understand each other?
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          • Human thinking is nonlinear
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        • I >
          • I am an optimist
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        • J
        • K >
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        • M >
          • Make Sense
          • May I meet this, too, with kindness
          • Meaning as importance
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          • Meaning of life
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          • Meanings perceived by animals
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          • Media
          • (Mis)understanding each other's needs
          • My quest for meaning
        • N >
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        • P >
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        • Q
        • R >
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          • Rhizome in philosophy
        • S >
          • Science, religion and art
          • Self-awareness and empathy of higher order
          • Self-awareness
          • Self-empathy
          • Subjectivity and objectivity
          • Suggested citation format
          • Synesthesia
        • T >
          • "The Death of the Author"
          • The importance of having a purpose
          • Truth
        • U >
          • Understanding ourselves
          • Us and them
        • V >
          • Verbal vs. nonverbal communication
          • Violence in the human nature
        • W >
          • What does it mean to "understand"?
          • What is a text?
          • What we can learn about ourselves from media
          • What is "natural"?
          • What's the point?
          • What will this project become?
          • We hurt others when we are in pain
          • Where do meanings come from?
          • Why am I trying to stay sane?
          • Why do people hurt each other?
          • Why is language so unhelpful?
          • Why do everyday objects make sense?
          • Why do misunderstandings happen?
        • X
        • Y
        • Z
      • Power of meanings // Meanings of power
      • It's not about "them"
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Picture
MEDIA IS US:
UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION AND MOVING BEYOND BLAME

>>description of chapters<<

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​Media is usually seen as a feature of the modern world enabled by the latest technologies. Scholars, educators, parents, and politicians often talk about it as something people should be wary of due to its potential negative impact on their lives. But do we really understand what media is?

My book argues that, in order to make sense of the modern media, we should explore fundamental principles of human communication. Ideally, this exploration will help us better understand ourselves and others, enhance our empathy, and engage in collaboration that will replace polarization based on blame.

The main ideas developed in the book include:
  • Five fundamental principles of communication
  • Theory of micro- and macropower
  • ACE model​

REVIEW COPIES ARE AVAILABLE! To request a copy, please fill out the form below.​​

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REVIEWS AND PRAISES:

You'll understand why media literacy has been called "the new humanities" after reading Elizaveta Friesem's marvelous new book. Through a close look at the nature of human communication, the critical analysis of media, the practice of collaboration, and the power of empathy, Friesem models the kind of self-reflexive stance that is needed to make sense of our social relationships in the complex digital world we inhabit. There's so much depth and wisdom in this book—and it's presented in an accessible and engaging way that will resonate with every reader and every aspect of daily life. What a great contribution this book makes to the field!
— Renee Hobbs, Harrington School of Communication and Media, University of Rhode Island

While searching for the truth, media resembles and competes with criminal trials, especially in cases of public interest. Elizaveta Friesem's book can help diverse scholars and criminal law practitioners like myself understand the semantic aspect of mediated communication as it relates to the construction of meaning. Analyzing media without falling back on blame is the book's best suggestion.
— Gabriel Pérez Barberá, professor, University Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires and University of Córdoba; and federal prosecutor, Argentina

We target modern media for many of the issues of society, often blaming the contemporary communication landscape for much of humans’ woes. In Media Is Us, Elizaveta Friesem expertly argues that this simplifies very complex problems. Friesem brings to light insightful connections between the meanings we make about media, the way humans communicate, and the power imbalances throughout culture. Friesem skillfully presents an excellent and essential idea in our polarized world; we must replace blame with empathy.
— Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director, National Association for Media Literacy Education​

INTERVIEWS:
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