Mediatization and Neoliberalism: Critical Conceptualization of Media Populism

Nikola Mlađenović; Slobodan Penezić

doi:10.25038/am.v0i28.622

Authors

Nikola Mlađenović Faculty of Sport, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade, Serbia
Slobodan Penezić Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia; Faculty of Sport, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i28.622

Keywords:

populism; mediatization; neoliberalism; media populism; media logic.

Abstract

This paper reconstructs the critical deficit of media populism research. Mediatization of politics is defined as the interplay between political and media logic, but researchers rarely examine all three constituents of political logic (polity, policy, politics). The paper dissects the media within the whole social system and introduces the interplay of polity/policy, media and economic logic. It argues that the media populism research is based thoroughly on the differentiation paradigm. Therefore, it introduces Hallin and Mancini’s “shift toward neoliberalism” as a simultaneous process of differentiation and dedifferentiation and proposes networked understanding of populism. Neoliberal polity/policies are considered as conditions for the rise of populism. On the other hand, decrease in audience trust brought the rise of partisan and social media. It networked the populism today, literally.

Author Biographies

Nikola Mlađenović, Faculty of Sport, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade, Serbia

Nikola Mlađenović holds a PhD in Cultural and Media Studies awarded by the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade (Serbia). Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sport, Union – Nikola Tesla University (Belgrade), and a guest lecturer at the UDG Montenegro (ASU Cintana Alliance network). His work is focused on the examination of the relationship between social theory and cybernetics, on the one hand, and media culture, on the other hand. He is concerned with political significance and social engagement within media system and popular culture. His last contribution examines the Russia–United States culture war within Serbian media system in a paper titled “Russian roulette: Serbian pop culture and global soft-power conflict” (Northern Lights: Film & Media Studies Yearbook). Currently, he is working on the influence of cybernetics in James Cameron’s science fiction films (upcoming book edited by Mark Fryers and Marcus Harmes).

Slobodan Penezić, Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia; Faculty of Sport, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade, Serbia

Slobodan Penezić holds a PhD in Cultural and Media Studies awarded by the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade (Serbia). Currently, he is a Research Associate at Institute of Social Sciences (Belgrade) and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Sport, Union – Nikola Tesla University (Belgrade), where he is also a Head of the Department of Journalism. His work is mainly focused on the studies of Journalism, Media Philosophy and Business, Social History of Sport and Mediatization of Sport, and Public Relations. He is a recipient of a special award from the Association of Journalists of Serbia for contributions to the history of print and journalism, theoretical works on journalism, and published works, and the award of the U.S. Department of State and Voice of America for winners of a competition for the best young media professionals from Southeast Europe.

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Mediatization and Neoliberalism: Critical Conceptualization of Media Populism

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DOI:

Keywords:

Abstract

Author Biographies

Nikola Mlađenović, Faculty of Sport, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade, Serbia

Slobodan Penezić, Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia; Faculty of Sport, University “Union – Nikola Tesla”, Belgrade, Serbia

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