In the late 1980s, the ethnographic turn emerged in the western audience research and it brought
about a considerable controversy over paradigm shift. Based on a literature review, this paper provides
a comprehensive description and analysis of that paradigm debate. The skepticism towards "Encoding-
Decoding Model", the inherent academic norms and the rise of media consumption facilitated the move
from reception studies to media ethnography, the contextualization of inquiry object and the shift of
political positions. As a respond to the challenges, scholars committing to media ethnography emphasized
the distinctive values and significance of ethnography in the era of globalization and digitalization.