ABSTRACT
According to diffusion theory, Americanization is a directional convergence process. In simplified terms, there are two contrary points of view: diffusion theory and modernization theory. Since the 1980s, observers of Austrian political communication and election campaigns have stated that there is a universal process of Americanization in politics, though this concept is defined in many different ways. An indicator for the progressive Americanization of political competition is for members of the journalistic elites the excessive personalization of Austrian politics, which led to virtual candidates and a system of political stars directed by TV and media staging. The personalization of politics—frequently used as an indicator for Americani-zation—reached its first culmination of Kreisky's government. The televisation or politics has reached a new quality in the late 1980s and 1990s. Advocates consider the Americanization of political communication to be the consequence of an ongoing structural change in politics, society, and the media system.
