Book reviews
Abstract
Media, Culture & Society Vol. 20 No. 4 major findings of this book, but instead underpin them: historical trends indeed show that the use of media tends to be very conservative, that what is technologically possible is not always what will happen. Second, and more importantly, a broader framework to interpret the trends and problems mentioned is not offered. More precisely, it would have been very interesting to see how the specificity of European policy and hence Europe itself is influencing the dynamics of the communications industry. To a large degree, I would argue that many of the trends and problems observed can be better understood if one puts them into the perspective of this 'Euro-specificity' which is related to the creation and the inherent characteristics of the EU as a 'supra-national state'. Nevertheless, this book is, to my knowledge, the best overview available of what are the most pressing actual problems and trends in the European communications industry with regard to multi-media development. Its documentary value is unprecedented, but it would have gained even more intellectual power if work had been included on the dynamics of European policy itself. However, maybe that wasn't the aim at the