English Social Sciences Media / Multimedia

It will also allow us to examine the ways in which meanings are exchanged in a wider and more complex range of ways than allowed by ideas about the rational public sphere.

I'm not sure what the language says here, I'm a bit confused - (1) meanings are exchanged in a wider and more complex ways than allowed by the ideas about rational public sphere
(2) we will be able to examine the ways [in which manings are exchanged] in awider and more complex ways - so here the examination will be wider than allowed by ideas about rational public sphere