The mediatization of politics in contemporary scandinavian film and television

Abstract

The increased mediatization of society since 1960 has lead to a discussion of the mediatization of politics and the role of media for political debate and democracy. Habermas as early as 1962 discussed the rise and potential decline of the public sphere. The role of media in general was central in this debate, and the rise of the internet in modern societies has increased the analysis and theories of the mediatization of politics in theories of democracy and in media sociology. Audio–visual media and the new digital media have increased the visibility of all parts of private and public life and changed the relation between media, public figures and the citizen. In this article, I will discuss main positions in theories on the mediatization of politics. I will also discuss and analyse three types of film and television genres that reflect this mediatization of politics in Scandinavian film and television culture: the political documentary, the political drama and the “nordic noir” crime genre.