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The Identity of Mediatization: Theorizing a Dynamic Field

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Dynamics Of Mediatization

Abstract

With the rapid expansion and visibility of mediatization research, the question of a common core, or identity, of the field becomes more pressing. This contribution reconstructs self-descriptions of the field and its theoretical premises and discusses ordering distinctions found in the literature. The analysis concludes that while some differences between conceptions have been exaggerated, important epistemological distinctions are still neglected. Based on a differentiated concept of the media, the article tries to uncover fundamental notions of mediatization theory that help identify core concerns of the field.

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Acknowledgements

This contribution draws on a number of presentations held throughout 2014–15 in Siegen, Stockholm, Friedrichshafen and Copenhagen on questions regarding the epistemological foundations of mediatization research. I wish to thank the participants of these discussions, in particular Stig Hjarvard , Friedrich Krotz, Wolfgang Reißmann and Peter Gentzel. Also, I need to acknowledge the helpful comments by an anonymous reviewer as well as by the editors of this volume.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany

    Marian T. Adolf

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  1. Marian T. Adolf
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Correspondence to Marian T. Adolf .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Olivier Driessens

  2. Department of Media and Communication Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden

    Göran Bolin

  3. ZeMKI Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research, Universität Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Andreas Hepp

  4. Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Stig Hjarvard

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Adolf, M.T. (2017). The Identity of Mediatization: Theorizing a Dynamic Field. In: Driessens, O., Bolin, G., Hepp, A., Hjarvard, S. (eds) Dynamics Of Mediatization. Transforming Communications – Studies in Cross-Media Research. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62983-4_2

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