Mediatization and global foodscapes: A conceptual outline

Abstract

Communications on the subject of food are changing dramatically across the world under the impact of present-day media conditions. The paper discusses the importance of the media for global, socio-cultural changes in the perception of food by giving a brief outline of some basic tendencies in this relationship, supported by theoretical perspectives and empirical findings. The first step to this end is to gauge the dimensions of the notion of “mediatization” by differentiating between media concepts. The main section which follows is concerned with presenting the typical traits found in the mediatized global foodscapes. In doing so, it will be clearly shown that different areas of the changed perception of food are extremely closely tied up with media and media developments, ranging from the cuisine and then, via phenomena concerned with moralizing and civilizing issues, on to the construction of individual and collective identities, and the extent of this link will be made clear. A conceptual framework evolves from the conclusions which can also serve as a heuristic tool for empirical studies.