Reading from sociology to mass media studies

The intricacies of reading and its manifold developments throughout history have inspired numerous studies conducted from diverse perspectives. This paper attempts to highlight the unique contributions of sociology and mass communication research, specifically addressing the theories and works produced by the members of the Toronto School, a diverse group of scholars, who during the second half of the twentieth century began to explore the connections between emerging technologies of speech, and those associated with cognitive, cultural and social changes. The starting points of these inquiries can be summarized through an approach to the study of interdisciplinary media, especially communications technology as an independent variable in the study of social change.