Mediatization beyond Western Democracies: a tridimensional model to measure media influence in Brazil

Abstract

Much has been written about the power of mass media –and, more specifically, a dominant media group– in Brazil since its recent transition to democracy. However, the media influence on Brazilian politics is treated almost always from a socio-economic perspective. In this work, I argue that it is necessary to take into account the influence of “media logic” in policy making, based on the theoretical framework known today as mediatization. However, recognizing that the lines between the different types of media interference are often blurred in the new democracies, I propose measuring its influence in Brazil using four interrelated variables in a three-dimensional system: Mediatization, democratization, concentration and regulation of the media sector. Finally, I apply this analysis framework in the recent selection of a TDT standard in Brazil, since I believe that digital migration offers a unique opportunity to understand how politics interact with either media logic or workers and corporations.