As new developments in the study of media audiences have unfolded in recent years, new concerns have entered the landscape. New Directions in Popular Communication Audience Studies addresses the topic of globalization, one of the most sweeping concerns that has reconceptualized the relationship among media, audiences, and power. This special issue covers current debates over meaning-making that have arisen within the context of these concerns. The articles examine scholarship in globalization and media relating to the fields of media studies, anthropology, and American Studies. Highlighting important new directions for the study of popular communication, this special issue offers ways that researchers can reconsider their own projects and interests in light of worldwide developments that affect us all.