Ecology

Abstract This entry explores the use of the wordecologywithin approaches to the study of media and communication, focusing primarily on a review of the school of thought known as media ecology. As media ecology is primarily recognized for its association with theories of technology's role in social change, the entry offers clarification on the relevance of media ecology and differing theoretical approaches to media and social and cultural change. The entry also observes points of incommensurability between media ecology and other theoretical approaches within communication and media studies. It concludes with a review of secondary and tertiary uses of the termecology, noting the critique of the media ecology school of thought—a critique embedded in what has been termed materialist media ecology.