The mediatization of politics

Gianpietro MazzoleniLa comunicazione politica

Chapter 3

What is mediatization?

• Centrality of the mass media in the (social and political) communication

• The economic goals of the media shape the political narratives

• Media as a branch of government (fourth power)

Mediatization definedThe four dimensions of the mediatization of politics

The systemic effects of the mediatization

• Media effects– Spectacularization– Agenda– Fractionalization

• Political effects– Personalization– Leaderization– Selection of political élites

Media effects1 Spectacularization

• All politicians make use of media• All politicians must follow the frames of the

mass communication• They have also to activate the interest of the

media

Media effects2 Agenda

• Agenda setting: citizens’ issue priority• Agenda building: governments’ issue priority

Media effects3 Fractionalization

• Sound bites• Packaging politics

Political effects1 Personalization

• Each politician is assessed as a single person rather than as a partisan leader, due to changes in communication– Popularization– Pervasiveness of the TV– End of the ideology

Political effects2 Leaderization

• A similar effect, named “leaderization”, is due to – Different kinds of democracy– Electoral systems• Plurality• Preferential voting• Direct election

– Vanishing of the mass parties

Political effects3 Selection

• Candidates are increasingly selected according to their media profile– The winnowing effect occurring during the

presidential primaries in the United States is an evident example

Mediatization and Internet

• Internet and the Web 2.0 are different from classical media– We could talk of an end of the mediatization due

to the direct relationship now practicable between politicians and citizens (disintermediation)

– Alternatively we could talk about a new form of extended mediatization including old media and Internet