"Howard has traced for us the often invisible elements of an intellectual trajectory by a major thinker on the new technologies. It is a wonderful and often surprising account - bringing to life the multiple and messy ways in which these new technologies are shaped, sharpened, undermined by the social conditions within which they get used." Saskia Sassen, Columbia University and author of Territory, Authority, Rights: From Medieval to Global Assemblages "The network perspective is proving to be the most important contemporary frame with which to understand the forces shaping technology, economics and society in the 21st century. Howard provides a clear, comprehensive and critical explanation of the work of the world's pre-eminent network theorist, Manuel Castells. Using accessible language the reader is introduced to Castells' ideas about media, globalization, digitalization, and, most importantly, power. Castells and the Media shows just how important and central Castells is for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary society and media." Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago "Howard's Castells and the Media offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of one of the key social scientists of our time pertaining to the study of media. This is a highly readable and inviting text, engaging students with a warm welcome to Castells' work." Mark Deuze, Indiana University