No sense of place : the impact of electronic media on social behavior /

Meyrowitz has produced a masterful study, a fine combination of perceptive analysis and creative synthesis. He concentrates on what he terms ``structural analysis'' of the electronic media in contrast to the conventional ``content analysis.'' Electronic media, he writes, has radically altered the contemporary ``behavioral setting'' and is ``a common element linking many of the trends, events, and movements of the last three decades.'' Illustrative of the range of his stimulating insights is Part 4, containing the following Chapters: ``The Merging of Masculinity and Feminity,'' ``The Blurring of Childhood and Adulthood,'' ``Lowering the Political Hero to Our Level.'' One example of the author's perspicacity concerns the challenge electronic media pose to political leadership. ``There is no lack of potential leaders, but rather an overabundance of information about them. The great leader image depends on mystification and careful management of public impressions. Through television, we see too much of our politicians....As a result, our...leaders are...stripped of their aura and are...brought closer to the level of the average person.'' Meyrowitz's well-written study is augmented by an appendix of key terms, 32 pages of notes, and a 16-page bibliography. Required reading at all levels for those who wish to understand the dynamic aspects of the electronic media age.-H.F. Didsbury Jr., Kean College of New Jersey