The Discourse of Public Participation Media takes a fresh look at what ‎'‎ordinary‎'‎ people are doing on air ‎- what they say‎,‎ and how and where they get to say it‎.‎ Using techniques of discourse analysis to explore the construction of participant identities in a range of different public participation genres‎,‎ Joanna Thornborrow argues that the role of the ‎'‎ordinary‎'‎ person in these media environments is frequently anything but‎.‎ Tracing the development of discourses of public participation media‎,‎ the book focusses particularly on the 1990s onwards when broadcasting was expanding rapidly‎:‎ the rise of the TV talk show‎,‎ increasing formats for public participation in broadcast debate and discussion‎,‎ and the explosion of reality TV in the first decade of the 21st century‎.‎ During this period‎,‎ traditional broadcasting has also had to move with the times and incorporate mobile and web‎-based communication technologies as new platforms for public access and participation ‎- text and email as well as the telephone ‎- and an audience that moves out of the studio and into the online spaces of chat rooms‎,‎ comment forums and the ‎'‎twitterverse‎'‎‎.‎ This original study examines the shifting discourses of public engagement and participation resulting from these new forms of communication‎,‎ making it an ideal companion for students of communication‎,‎ media and cultural studies‎,‎ media discourse‎,‎ broadcast talk and social interaction‎.‎