Fuchs, Christian. 2016. Critical Theory of Communication: New Readings 
of Lukács, Adorno, Marcuse, Honneth and Habermas in the Age of the 
Internet. London: University of Westminster Press. ISBN 
978-1-911534-04-4. Critical Digital and Social Media Studies Book 
Series, Volume 1.

More information:
http://fuchs.uti.at/books/critical-theory-of-communication/
http://www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/site/books/detail/1/critical-theory-of-communication/

Watch the introductory talk from the book launch
https://vimeo.com/187128375

This book contributes to the foundations of a critical theory of 
communication as shaped by the forces of digital capitalism. Christian 
Fuchs explores how the thought of some of the Frankfurt School’s key 
thinkers can be deployed for critically understanding media in the age 
of the Internet. Five essays that form the heart of this book review 
aspects of the works of Georg Lukács, Theodor W. Adorno, Herbert 
Marcuse, Axel Honneth and Jürgen Habermas and apply them as elements of 
a critical theory of communication’s foundations. The approach taken 
starts from Georg Lukács' "Ontology of Social Being", draws on the work 
of the Frankfurt School thinkers, and sets them into dialogue with the 
Cultural Materialism of Raymond Williams.

Critical Theory of Communication offers a vital set of new insights on 
how communication operates in the age of information, digital media and 
social media, arguing that we need to transcend the communication theory 
of Habermas by establishing a dialectical and cultural-materialist 
critical theory of communication.

It is the first title in a major new book series ‘Critical Digital and 
Social Media Studies’ published by the University of Westminster Press.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Critical Theory of Communication: New Readings of 
Lukács, Adorno, Marcuse, Honneth and Habermas in the Age of the Internet

2. Georg Lukács as a Communications Scholar: Cultural and Digital Labour 
in the Context of Lukács’ Ontology of Social Being

3. Theodor W. Adorno and the Critical Theory of Knowledge

4. Herbert Marcuse and Social Media

5. The Internet, Social Media and Axel Honneth’s Interpretation of Georg 
Lukács’ Theory of Reification and Alienation

6. Beyond Habermas: Rethinking Critical Theories of Communication

7. Conclusion

Index