Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Scope and variations of the concept of mediatization 31 atization as a meta-process of cultural and social change, equiva- lent to individualization and globalization, a continuous process, linked to a specific time and cultural context, that alters human relationships and behaviors. His perspective is shared by Hepp (2011), for whom the concept of mediatization goes beyond a theory of logic and media changes and refers to the broader pan- orama of reciprocity relations between media-communicative and socio-cultural changes. Also, Bolin’s view (2016) seeks to focus the media in its entirety, asking how its integration his- torically built into culture and society has shaped the social and cultural spheres. To these two traditions, Bolin adds a third – technologi- cal tradition – rooted in semiotics and structural anthropology, which deals with the affecting of culture and society by commu- nicative technologies and their specific codes. In this tradition, he points out as an example of the reflections developed by Bau - drillard and his theory of simulacrum and simulations. Despite the importance of the contribution of Brazilian authors, it is still not possible to speak of a Brazilian perspec- tive or to identify very defined trends in the studies developed here. Assuming the risks of simplification – inherent to the at - tempts of grouping and systematization, I realize that the use of the concept of mediatization among us is inscribed in three possible paths: - a descriptive macro concept. We sometimes talk of me- diatization just to name/describe the phenomenon (the extent and strength of the presence of communication technologies) without producing a clear and defined conception of its implica - tions. It is rather an observation, and the idea of a mediatized society is more a premise than a key to reading. In this case, me- diatization is a macro concept to identify one of the characteris- tics of the contemporary world and is in line with other macro concepts, such as urbanization, globalization, individualism. - a critical-deterministic perspective . Here, too, we find a macro concept, but with clearly determined implications. This mediatized world is no longer the same, and media pres- ence and mediation reorganize and impose new ways of life: the media shapes thoughts, sensibilities, ways of relationships. It is structuring a new way of life.