Medienwissenschaft

Medienwissenschaft is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines media as cultural, social, technological artifacts and processes. It studies how media are produced, distributed, represented, and consumed, and how they shape and reflect power relations, identities, knowledge, and public discourse. The field encompasses traditional media such as film, television, radio, and print, as well as new digital media, including the internet, social platforms, streaming services, and user-generated content.

Theoretical anchors include cultural studies, critical theory, semiotics, discourse analysis, poststructuralism, media archaeology, and technocultural approaches; methodological repertoire combines qualitative and quantitative methods: content analysis, reception studies, ethnography, archival/historical research, and digital methods.

In many German-speaking universities, Medienwissenschaft is distinguished from Kommunikationswissenschaft (which emphasizes communication processes and media effects) and from narrower subdisciplines such as Filmwissenschaft or Journalismus. Medienwissenschaft aims for an integrated view of media across formats, production contexts, audiences, and institutions, and often addresses questions of mediatization, media literacy, policy, and ethics in digital societies.

Historically, the field emerged in the 1960s and 1970s in the wake of cultural studies, media sociology, and critical theory, and has expanded with the rise of digital technologies. Today it spans film and television studies, media history and theory, digital culture, platform studies, and heritage preservation.

Academic programs typically offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, with graduates pursuing research and teaching in universities as well as careers in media industries, museums and archives, cultural administration, journalism, and digital services.