Mediatization, polarization, and intolerance (between environments, media, and circulation)

239 Individuals, collectives, and polarization in the unstable situation caused by mediatization and the contemporary circulation of meaning Mario Carlón 1 Abstract: This article reviews the role of individuals and their link with polarization processes in the transition frommass me- dia society to the contemporary one. According to Eliseo Verón, “Among the factors operating in the social meta-space, individu- alism is undoubtedly the main responsible for accelerating di- vergence”. That was its role in postmodern media society. Today individuals are still factors of divergence, but they are polarized. Why are individuals polarized in contemporary societies? The thesis that is presented says that contemporary polarization is complementary to individualism, that it is no longer a choice but a hypermediated destiny. And that one of the main causes of ar- ticulation is the permanent instability established by mediatiza- tion and the new conditions for the circulation of meaning. Keywords: Circulation. Meaning. Polarization. Mediatization. Power. This article addresses how mediatization, circulation, and polarization are articulated in contemporary society, in which mediatization and circulation underwent major transfor- mations. It is developed in six parts. In the first, we will review Eliseo Ver n’s postmod - ern thesis on mediatization and circulation, which includes as a relevant aspect the diagnosis that the individualist revolution 1 Professor and researcher at Universidad de Buenos Aires. ORCID: https://orcid. org/0000-0002-5303-1308. E-mail: mariocarlon895@gmail.com .