Media and politics 2017

1. Media and Politics 2017
Quiz
0.1. Introduction

2. 1) Explain communication and the
difference between «media» in general
- and “artificial media” in political
communication.

3. Communication occurs when a sender is
sharing a message with a receiver. In the
broad sense media is anything that can be
used for communication.
In the narrow sense it is usually used to
describe the artificial forms of media (the
technology) that enables communication
across longer distances.

4. 2) What is a «media technology
determinist”? Mention two examples of
such determinists and why this
perspective can be criticized.

5. The use of term “determinist” itself is intended as a
critical description of the view – often associated with
Medium theory - that technological development is
“unstoppable” - and the primary cause of social and
political change.
An optimistic view is said to be represented by McLuhan:
(“The Global village”, “The medium is the message”) and a
pessimistic view is attributed to Postman (“Amusing
Ourselves to Death”).
This view is criticized because it downplays the human
factor. Technologies are developed, used and controlled
by human beings, including political authorities.

6. 3) What is meant by talking about
media texts as “re-presentations” of the
world?

7. The contents of media texts are always the
results of choices in terms of subject,
scripting, editing, sequencing etc.
Hence, they can never be “mirrors” in the
sense of capturing everything neutrally.

8. 4) What is mediation and
mediatization? What is the difference?

9. Mediation refers to (artificial) media being the dominant
channel for communication. When politics are described
as “mediated” it means the media has become the most
important communication channel between governors
and the governed.
Mediatization is a process where political communication
becomes mediated and the media becomes gradually
more independent from politics and society, ending with
political actors having to adapt to the demands of the
media’s logic.

10. 5) When Hoskins and O’Loughlin refer
to the new paradigmof war as «diffused
war» - what do they mean?

11. The conduct of wars has become mediatized, as
Governments lose control over the media. New
non-state actors use media for theirown purposes
and mediareportsmaydelegitimizeGovernments’
conduct of war.
Mediatization and new actors makes it harder to
predict the relations between action and effect.
Unexpected events occur and actions have
unexpected consequences. Of course, it then
becomes harder for state actors to make the
appropriate decisions when they fight wars.