Unveiling the biographies of media: on the role of narratives, anecdotes and storytelling in the construction of new media’s histories

The article proposes the notion of "biographies of media” to address the complex ways through which media change is the subject of narration and storytelling. This concept provides theoretical tools to unveil how different narratives contribute to shape media’s identities and to carry particular representations of their roles in our society and everyday life. Relying on theoretical approaches to storytelling and to the biographical genre, as well as on a range of examples from media history, the article shows that narratives are not only key elements in the content of media texts, but also ways through which the impact of media on society and everyday life is represented and negotiated within the public sphere.