ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to survey the literature on the mediatization of politics, and to present a conceptual framework to guide further empirical and comparative research on the mediatization of politics. Although the concept of mediatization has come into more common use in political communication research only recently, the term itself dates back to the reorganization of the German states by Napoleon in the early nineteenth century. In addition to being understood as a social and cultural system or institution, media organizations should be recognized as increasingly independent from, although also interdependent on, other social and political institutions. The chapter has surveyed the literature and suggested a framework that might be used to guide further research on the mediatization of politics. According to this framework, mediatization is a multi-dimensional concept where at least four dimensions can be identified.
