Mediatization

The concept of mediatization is used to critically analyze the interrelation between changes in media and communications on the one hand, and changes in culture and society on the other. At this general level, mediatization has quantitative as well as qualitative dimensions. With regard to quantitative aspects, mediatization refers to the increasing temporal, spatial and social spread of mediated communication as we become increasingly used to communicating via media in various contexts. With regard to qualitative aspects, mediatization refers to the specificity of certain media within the process of sociocultural change: it matters what kind of media is used for what kind of communication. This entry will begin by outlining the most recent understandings of mediatization, as well as the challenges involved in researching the dynamics of mediatization empirically. A special focus will be placed on what is called deep mediatization, that is the recent centrality of digital media and datafication in everyday life. Taking such a general reflection as a starting point, the entry will focus in more detail on what (deep) mediatization means for citizens and civil society. Here, a special emphasis will be placed on the mediatization of social movements and the emergence of new movement-like collective actors like pioneer communities such as the Quantified Self and Maker movement.