Communication and media are essential and ubiquitous aspects of our daily lives and society. Yet, we do not always seem to know what communication is, how it operates, which impact it holds and even how to aptly describe it. Acknowledging this 'black box', On Media and Communication provides the reader with a broad and profound overview of the scholarly field of communication sciences. It offers a basic introduction to the paradigms, theories and research strands while also approaching the young discipline from a historical perspective. Issues of power, social integration and identity in relation to media are central points of discussion in this book volume and are illustrated by a rich number of topical cases from the international scene of media and communication. Students from the fields of social sciences and humanities as well as everyone with an interest in the role and practice of media in our contemporary world will find this handbook to be a useful and accessible introduction to a rapidly developing field of research and theoretical inquiry.