Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Vera V. França 38 and the constitution of social, communicational and cultural life, dealing with them as distinct dynamics and trying to identify which interferes on the other; for us, it seems wrong. Not being the same thing, its functioning is interwoven, and it is this inser- tion and crossings that should be the focus of our studies. V – Summary of contributions Although the word mediatization is widespread among us, it is necessary to say that the term per se is unnecessary, but the debates around it, reaffirming or even minimizing its scope, bring relevant contributions to the study of contemporary so- ciety – this one has the presence of the media as a mainstay. In other words: today, it is not possible to study society, in its differ- ent instances and fields, without mentioning the media. So it is a case of asking if the reciprocal is true: is it possible to study the media focusing strictly on the communica- tional process, or on the characteristics of this or that support, in the examination of specific languages and codes, dispensing a contextual approach? Possible it is. However, the reflections around mediatization teach us that cutting out communication from the ground where it is established is at least limited – be- cause communication is exactly one of the movements (perhaps the central one) that, together with others, constitutes social life and constitutes us. Thus, and in a brief review and retrieval of the ques- tions raised by our journey, it is worth emphasizing aspects and guidelines brought by one and the other author (of differ- ent tendencies) that are significant for communication studies – regardless of our greater or lesser adherence to the theme of mediatization: - Retrieving the institutional place of the media. An im- portant aspect of studies on mediatization emphasizes its insti- tutional place in society. We can take an institution here in its two senses. From a broader perspective, according to Marcel Mauss and others, we consider that those ideas, practices, uses that are “instituted” are accepted and followed by everyone, such as family, language. But the institution also appoints legal