Abstract
Talking about politics without considering its communicative dimension is no longer possible. The development of the mass media has had such a decisive impact on the dynamics of the political process that there is a mediatisation of public action. Within this framework, we find the space of political communication that takes place in the symbolic and asymmetric exchange between media, political actors and citizens. The political system and the media industry are now linked by a relationship of interdependence: on the one hand, politicians are always looking for visibility in a public space transformed into a mediatised political arena; on the other hand, the media need politics as a source of information and a place of decision-making even with respect to the economic and institutional conditions in which media professions can be performed. The effects of the centrality of the media on politics are expressed above all in its personalisation and spectacularisation, while citizens, who seem destined to play the passive role of mere spectators, maintain a fundamental power because, in democracy, they represent a source of consensus for politics and profit for the media. Through the means of communication, there are not only effects on politics, but also on the cognitive system and on the behaviour of individuals. The mass media condition the dynamics of political socialisation and set the conditions of political propaganda, influencing electoral guidelines. They can narcotise or stimulate participation and represent, in any case, the main place where public opinion is formed. This chapter will end with a specific section on the central role played by new (digital and social) media in the construction of political mobilisation and participation.
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de Nardis, F. (2020). Communication and Political Process. In: Understanding Politics and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37760-1_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37760-1_12
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