Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Pedro Gilberto Gomes 54 Despite the guiding line that emerges from the treat- ment of mediatization at the Academia 2 , reality does not express a univocity of the concept. On the contrary, the different media continents approach it with different voices and perspectives. Each group, when using the concept, takes it in a peculiar way and with different meanings, although they, in most cases, hide subliminally in the reflections made. There is a pre-data that informs and guides both the use and the understanding of the concept. It is important to underline that the equivocality does not reside in the concept as something constitutive of it. On the contrary, what exists is a different perspective, according to the re- ality and the interest of those who use it. The inclination here is to say that there is a multivocality. That is, many voices for the same concept. Therefore, the concept is not equivocal, but plurivocal. Here we present an initial survey of some positions – in our view more relevant – on the concept of mediatization 3 . The path allowed us to see the breadth of approaches and un- derstandings of the concept of mediatization. On the one hand, some perspectives consider that mediatization results from a process of appearing in the media; that is, to be publicized, worked on, transmitted by different means. The social fields are related to each other and are affected by the media, and they also affect it in its various devices. On the other hand, there are those visions that see the media acting deeply on social relations, transforming society. It plays an important role but still identifies with a social field alongside others. In this regard, economics, politics, and reli- gion, for example, are profoundly affected by the social structure brought about by the mass media. In a more sociological view, mediatization is themed as a paradigm for the study of society. In this situation, one asks what is the future of field theory since it is so dominant in con- temporary sociological reflections. 2 See: GOMES, Pedro Gilberto. From media to mediatization . São Leopoldo: EdU- nisinos, 2017. 3 The analyzes of the different opinions in Brazil, Argentina, and Europe are in- cluded in the research report presented to CNPq.