SOC201: SOCIAL & CULTURAL

CHANGE
Lecture 4 (1): Introducing Mediatization
LECTURE OVERVIEW

Introduces the concept of

mediatization and examines some
of its impacts on global society
WHAT IS
MEDIATIZATION?
Mediatization is defined as ‘the embedding of
technologically based means of
communication in the practices of everyday
life…a long-term process that deepened
dramatically over the past 150 years’ (Couldry
& Hepp, 2017: 37)

In other words, it refers to all the social

changes that take place as result of the spread
of various communications technologies (from
print to television to smartphones) through
society
Culture and society become
increasingly dependent on the
media and their logic

‘Media ‘now are much more than

specific channels of centralized
content: they…literally are the
spaces where, through
communication, [we] enact the
social’ (Couldry & Hepp, 2017: 2)
Mediatization involves
the extension of the
influence of the media
(considered both as a
cultural technology and
as an organisation) into
all spheres of society and
social life (Mazzoleni,
2008)
 THE MEDIA
INCREASINGLY SHAPE
OUR REALITY

In a mediatized society, ‘the

media acquire greater authority
to define social reality and
condition patterns of social
interaction’ (Hjarvard, 2013: 3)
 • Media are
technologies that
expand
communications in
time, space and
modality (Hjarvard,
2013: 19)
• Each type of media
has its own
characteristics
• They vary both in use
WHAT ARE THE and content between
cultures and societies
MEDIA?
TYPES OF MEDIA
1. Print (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.) from the 15 th century
onwards
2. Recordings (gramophone records, magnetic tapes, cassettes, CDs,
DVDs) from the late 19th century
3. Cinema from about 1900
4. Radio from about 1910
5. Television from about 1950
6. Internet from about 1990
7. Mobile phones from about 2000

The first five are categorised as mass media; the internet and mobile
phone are more interpersonal media
SOC201: SOCIAL & CULTURAL
CHANGE
Lecture 4 (2): Media and Society
Today the media are no
longer one social institution
among many others, but are
central to the functioning of
nearly every area of society

The media are part of the

very fabric of most social and
cultural institutions (the
family, education,
government, the economy,
etc.)
BEFORE THE INFORMATION AGE…

Family Education Economy Government Media

The media were one social institution among others

IN THE INFORMATION AGE…

Media

Family Education Government Economy

The media are essential to the functioning of other social

institutions and also tie them together
• In earlier societies, social
institutions, like family, school,
and religious bodies, were the
most important providers of
information, tradition, and moral
orientation for the individual
members of society
• Today, these institutions have lost
some of their former authority
• The media have to some extent
taken over their role as providers
of information and moral
orientation
• The media have become society’s
most important storyteller about
society itself (Hjarvard, 2013: 83)
It is the media which connect the different
social institutions (families, educational
institutions, government bodies,
businesses) within society
They provide interpretative frameworks
for understanding society as a whole

‘The media are not simply technologies

that organizations, parties, or individuals
can choose to use – or not use – as they see
fit. The presence of the media has become
a structural condition for social and
cultural practices’ (Hjarvard, 2013: 3)
SOC201: SOCIAL & CULTURAL
CHANGE
Lecture 4 (3): Media and Daily Life
 SCHULZ’
TYPOLOGY OF
MEDIATIZATION
Winifried Schulz (2004) describes
four ways in which the media
change human interaction and
communication.
Firstly, they extend human
communication abilities across
both space and time
Secondly, they substitute
for social activities that
previously took place
face-to-face (e.g. internet
banking, e-government,
insurance)
Thirdly, they lead to the
amalgamation of activities, as
face-to-face communication
combines with mediated
communication (use of social
media pages and mobile phones
to co-ordinate family or group
activities, business meetings
using video conferencing)
Fourthly, social actors
adapt their behaviour
to accommodate the
media’s formats and
values (e.g. political
leaders communicating
in ‘soundbites’ or using
twitter)
 VIRTUALISATION
OF SOCIAL
INSTITUTIONS

Traditionally institutions were bound

to specific places
• Politics in government buildings,
city halls, meeting rooms
• Education in schools and
universities
• Art in museums and galleries
• Family life within the home
• Today individuals can
participate in many social
institutions, irrespective of
their location
• This can mean greater
freedom and flexibility in
everyday life…
• It might also mean work
being moved from
companies or governments
to individuals
SOCIAL SPACE
• ‘the primary ‘where’ of the social
world may, for many people, be
shifting over to the sites sustained
by media platforms and people’s
interactions with and across them’
(Couldry & Hepp, 2017: 91)
• In other words, people may be
physically sitting in a classroom, an
auditorium, a café or a park…
• …but mentally inhabiting the
virtual space of a website or social
media platform
• People may be visible to many
distant others…
• Watching many distant others
while remaining invisible
themselves…
• Part of interactive spaces where
a large number of things are
going on (Couldry & Hepp, 2017:
90)
 SOCIAL TIME

‘there is literally no limit to how many

messages, can ‘be there together’ in
one’s inbox, each requiring response
‘now’ across a range of
communicative platforms’ (Couldry &
Hepp, 2017: 112)
There is a constant increase in our
obligations to interact, to
communicate, to keep up with other
people
 ‘THE DEMAND TO ‘BE
AVAILABLE’

 The result is a conflict between

these increased obligations and
our ability to meet them in the
available time (Couldry & Hepp,
2017: 112)
 Increased stress and pressure…
 Erosion of private life
 SUMMARY

Mediatization refers to all the social and cultural changes that result from the spread of
communications technologies

Today the media are central to the functioning of nearly every social institution –
government, families, education, the economy

Mediatization leads to increased individual freedom and choice, as we can interact with
organisations, communicate with people and access services from almost anywhere

It can also lead to increased stress, erosion of private life and increased surveillance