LAUSR

Media ecology is “the study of media as environment” (Postman & Weingartner, 1971: 7), trying to call for environmental protection. From the Toronto to New York Schools, their research attention never moves away from the semiotic environment, perceived environment or social environment. Shao’s two articles “On the Structure, Planning and Management of Media Ecosystem” and “Five Concepts of Media Ecology” published in 2001a, b really started to arouse Chinese scholars’ attention to media ecology. He proposed to refine a whole set of theory systems different from the media environmental science of foreign scholars, and spared no efforts to establish media ecology with Chinese characteristics. Thus, Shao is recognised as the major representative of media ecology with Chinese characteristics, and Shao’s book Media Ecology is regarded as China’s effort to build a systematic disciplinary foundation of media ecology. Although the term used is the same as the one used by North American Schools, media ecology built by Shao is an inter-disciplinary product of media science and ecology, originated from human efforts to handle relationships among human, media, society and nature (Shao 2008). To reveal and explore the relationship among human, media, society and nature, the book introduces media as a green ecology, refines its principles and laws, and pinpoints the main concern of the green media ecological system as the interaction between the media system and the social system. Therefore, most of the studies are concerned with inner interaction in media, human–media interaction and media–society interaction. These frequent and complicated interactions will lead to information, energy and resource exchange. Media Ecology is structured around three sections in 13 chapters written by different scholars, which almost covers every aspect in the development of a theory. The first section, with six chapters, draws the outline of media ecology with Chinese characteristics, which forms the epistemological and ontological foundations of the theory. Chapter One classifies its research contents into media as environment, media as virtual space, media as micro-ecology and media as critical points (pp. 8–10). Most importantly, it also brings forwards six pieces of theoretical principles—optimisation, complementation, diversification, harmony, recycle and regulation (pp. 11–14). Media ecology in China is not the same as media ecology (environmental science) in North America, represented by renowned scholars like Lewis Mumford and Marshall McLuhan. Chapter Three illustrates the core concepts and laws of media ecology. Media ecology as a way of thinking entails ecological holism, interaction, balance, recycling and resources (pp. 63–69). The chapter argues that media ecology follows these rules: law of niche, law of “food chain”, law of “biological clock”, law of the minimum, and law of tolerance and limiting factors (pp. 71–79). In a media ecosystem, individual communication elements