Media and cultural studies, or producing socially useful knowledge. Mapping the research area and existing (cyber)cultural practices

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the contemporary challenges of media cultural studies – an increasingly important sector of the applied sciences focused on the production of socially useful knowledge. This knowledge, in turn, is used to solve specific problems of users and media generations (e.g., generation Z, young adults) related to the use of new media, including social media, for interaction, communication, and education. Research within media cultural studies understood in this way relates to the user‑text‑oriented approach. The adoption of such an approach to studying phenomena is the result of a paradigmatic change within the media themselves; that is, the transition from mass media to network media and the effect of the so‑called performative turn. This has contributed to greater reflection on the “applicability of knowledge” and performativity itself in relation to the symbolic sphere, as seen in the works of Judith Butler. These issues are illustrated by selected examples.