European Journal of Communication 

About: European Journal of Communication is an academic journal published by SAGE Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Politics & Political communication. It has an ISSN identifier of 0267-3231. Over the lifetime, 1362 publications have been published receiving 39694 citations.

Reconstructing Mediatization as an Analytical Concept

Abstract: Mediatization relates to changes associated with communication media and their development. A basic assumption of mediatization is that the technological, semiotic and economic characteristics of mass media result in problematic dependencies, constraints and exaggerations. These are closely associated with three basic functions of the media in communication processes: (1) the relay function, grounded in the media’s technological capacities, serving to bridge spatial and temporal distances; (2) the semiotic function, making messages suitable for human information processing through encoding and formatting; and (3) the economic function, highlighting the standardization of media products as an outcome of mass production processes. The article looks at the analytical functions of mediatization and, finally, discusses three possible answers to the question whether the advent of new media might bring an end to mediatization.

The disinformation order: Disruptive communication and the decline of democratic institutions:

Abstract: Many democratic nations are experiencing increased levels of false information circulating through social media and political websites that mimic journalism formats. In many cases, this disinformat...

The Internet and Knowledge Gaps A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation

Abstract: Although the knowledge gap hypothesis is often mentioned in connection with the social consequences of the Information Society, there is little discussion of its theoretical background or specific empirical evidence. Therefore, this article explores the theoretical potential of the knowledge gap perspective for Internet research and presents data based on two recent Internet surveys, which demonstrate a double digital divide. Access to the Internet in Switzerland is still dominated by well-educated, affluent, young males and between 1997 and 2000 the gap between those who do and those who do not have access widened not narrowed. Furthermore, there are gaps in the use of the Internet too. More educated people use the Internet more actively and their use is more information oriented, whereas the less educated seem to be interested particularly in the entertainment functions of the Internet.

Media System, Public Knowledge and Democracy A Comparative Study

Abstract: ■ This article addresses the implications of the movement towards entertainment-centred, market-driven media by comparing what is reported and what the public knows in four countries with different media systems. The different systems are public service (Denmark and Finland), a `dual' model (UK) and the market model (US). The comparison shows that public service television devotes more attention to public affairs and international news, and fosters greater knowledge in these areas, than the market model. Public service television also gives greater prominence to news, encourages higher levels of news consumption and contributes to a smaller within-nation knowledge gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged. But wider processes in society take precedence over the organization of the media in determining how much people know about public life. ■

Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age:

Abstract: necessarily add to the critique of news organisations as a whole, while also denying newscaster agency. A more important issue is the lack of theoretical or conceptual application in the text. Theory is mentioned in passing – the analysis of ideological interest is mentioned (p. 30), and moral panic theory is also signposted in the conclusion (p. 166). Aside from these references, there is no attempt to develop a detailed analysis of the ideological processes at work (the occasional mention of neo-liberalism, the Washington consensus and World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) policy do not do this). Neither is there an attempt to apply the stages of any moral panic approach to the data. Moreover, there exists no rigorous application or development of concepts of stereotyping, prejudice, immigrational racism or stigma, which seem to be fundamental to the critique presented. Although more theory would have been satisfying for this reader, the lack of academic or theoretical terminology does render the text highly accessible. The book will be of use to professionals working in the field and should be understandable to policymakers. One last criticism concerns the interview and focus group sample. This might have been added to through the inclusion on white Britons as a focus group. This population may have allowed the study to record the existence of a majoritarian discourse that mirrors media coverage of refugees. Overall, this text is a good example of what social science can add to our understanding of the social world. It takes the dominant ideological myths created on some of the most vulnerable, stigmatised people in society and begins to illuminate the structures that encourage these myths.