Through the Lens of Dread: Exploring the Meaning-Making of Fear in the Mediasphere

Through the Lens of Dread: Exploring the Meaning-Making of Fear in the Mediasphere uniquely emphasises a qualitative, meaning-oriented approach to the study of fear, offering a fresh perspective on how fear is constructed, communicated, and internalised within contemporary media landscapes. This collection seeks to illuminate and critically examine the complex interplay between media, society, and the affects that drive our engagement with the world. Drawing on diverse theoretical frameworks, contexts, and disciplinary perspectives, it explores the role that various forms of media play in fear-driven meaning-making processes at both individual and societal levels. Covering topics ranging from the semiotics of fear to media narratives of otherness, conspiracy, crisis, and technological uncertainty, this volume offers a nuanced understanding of fear as a semiotic and communicative phenomenon, providing a timely exploration of dread as a defining affect of our age. Rooted in international scholarly exchange, the volume will be of particular interest to researchers and students of media, communication, cultural studies, and anyone interested in how fear shapes our shared imaginaries today.