Media and communication have become ubiquitous in today’s societies and affect all aspects of life. On an individual level, they impact how we learn about the world, how we entertain ourselves, and how we interact with others. On an organisational level, the interactions between media and organisations, such as political parties, NGOs, businesses and brands, shape organisations’ reputation, legitimacy, trust and (financial) performance, as well as individuals’ consumer, political, social and health behaviours. At the societal level, media and communication are crucial for shaping public opinion on current issues such as climate change, sustainability, diversity, and well-being. Media challenges are widespread and include mis- and disinformation, the negative impact of algorithms on our information diets, challenges to our privacy, cyberbullying, media addiction, and unwanted persuasion, among many others. All this makes the study of media and communication crucial.

This book provides a broad overview of the ways in which people create, use, and experience their media environment, and the role of media and communication for individuals, organisations, and society. The chapters in the book were written by researchers from the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. ASCoR is today the largest research institute of its kind in Europe and has developed over the past 25 years into one of the best communications research institutes in the world.

Valid and reliable measurement of media and communication exposure is crucial for communication science, psychology, political science, sociology, pedagogy, economics, and law, and the practitioners in media, communication, and information. At the same time, this is a wicked problem for which there are no simple solutions. That was never the case, but in today's digital and abundant media landscape it is even more difficult. The book discusses the ways in which media and communication exposure can be conceptualized, operationalized, and measured. Methods examined include self-reports, recall, recognition, ecological momentary assessment, think aloud, digital traces, data donation, human observation, eye-tracking, EEG, fMRI, heart rate, and skin conductance, their pros and cons, complexities, and performance. The book concludes with recommendations for the application and further development of these methods, as well as an extensive bibliography with references to in-depth insights into specific aspects of media exposure measurement.