A Culturalist Approach to the Concept of the Mediatization of Politics: The Age of "Media Hegemony". (25th June 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Block, Elena
• Is Part Of: Communication theory. Volume 23:Part 3(2013:Aug.)
• Page Start: 259
• Page End: 278
• Publication Date: 2013-06-25
• Subjects: Communication -- Periodicals; Information theory -- Periodicals; 302.205
• DOI: 10.1111/comt.12016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1050-3293

Abstract

Abstract : This article rethinks the concept of the mediatization of politics from a culturalist perspective, rebuilding the concept through five arguments: the first two are focused on the symbolic dimension of the issue in the context of the naturalized hegemonic media; the third presents it as a conceptual tool helpful to study the way citizens increasingly interact with media technologies and forms to engage with politics; the fourth poses it as a state of affairs where individuals and groups develop cultural patterns of media connectivity that lead to politically mediatized situations; the last proposes this state of affairs as the "fourth age" of political communication: An age of media hegemony. Hugo Chávez's politically mediatized Venezuela serves as an illustration .