Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Scope and variations of the concept of mediatization 35 the concept also gets close to the “interactional reference pro- cesses, by José Luiz Braga (2006). The term, however, did not get adherence. Neverthe- less, as well as mediatization, it expresses a theoretical path, a conceptual aspect in the field of Communication that takes as its starting point the ordering force of the media (supports) in the formatting of the communicative processes and the dynam- ics of the very life of society. In other words, even using differ- ent names, several authors have dealt with this intersection of media/ society and culture. Media Theory So, we must remember what, for lack of a better name, can be called “ Media Theory. Although it is not a specific concept or school, a tradition has been building for decades, through au- thors who have a particular focus on the development of com- munication technologies. We can group here the pioneers Har- old Innis (1894-1952), Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980), and more contemporary names, such as Joshua Meyrowitz, Pierre Levy, Derrick de Kerckhove, Henry Jenkins. These authors are important references, whether to advocate (and anticipate) the importance of the media in configuring the profile of society or helping to understand the characteristics of digital technologies today. Such authors (and this chain of studies), although they appear as important references for current media stud- ies, are not exactly located at the core of the theoretical founda- tions of the theme of mediatization, because the emphasis they bring tends more towards the technological bias, configuring a perspective that can be called mediacentric. Although there is a variation in the approach of each of these authors, a “Media Theory” highlights the determination given by the media to the other spheres of society. In contrast, mediatization theories would be over- emphasizing the relationship between technical media and culture/society. However, it is worth reflecting on how apart these schools are, and if this diversity of approaches does not exactly constitute the richness of the different theories on the