Donald Trump's use of Twitter, the 'Angelina Effect', social media mourning, cyber-bullying: in today's media environment, evidence of media influence is all around us. As such, good media research is more important than ever, and crucially, is something everyone can and should do. In Exploring Media Research, Andy Ruddock explains that the only way to learn or teach about media research is to do it. Carefully balancing theory and practice, he demystifies the process, showing you don't need huge amounts of time or money to do meaningful media analysis. This book: Explains how principles of motivation, causation, generalizability, and ethics apply to media research; Outlines different forms of 'reality' created by media stories, media users, and the blending of media and interpersonal communication; Identifies key areas of research, from media industries, content and events to regulation, policy and audiences; Demonstrates how key concepts translate into actual research methods, from archival and field research to the analysis of 'big data' and brings theory to life throughout with a range contemporary case studies. This is a thoughtful, pragmatic approach to both gathering and analysing media data, and so making sense of the chaotic, complex, compelling world of media influence in the 21st century. It is essential reading for students and researchers across media, communication and cultural studies .