Researching Transforming Communications in Times of Deep Mediatization: A Figurational Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to outline the concept ‘figurational approach’ as one possible way of researching transforming communications. To do this, the authors reflect on our changing media environment, which is understood as being marked by deep mediatization. Second, they develop the argument that mediatization research is right to emphasize the domain specificity of (deep) mediatization. However, there is a need to sharpen the idea of social domain. With this in mind, the chapter demonstrates how it can be a help to investigate transforming communications by analyzing changing ‘communicative figurations’. Finally, in the conclusion, some remarks are made about what this means for practical empirical research.