Communicative Figurations and Cross-Media Research

Abstract

Inspired by the contributions to this volume, and anchored in recent theories of mediatization, this postscript reflects on the achievements and potentials of the figurational approach in cross-media communication studies. Seeing the volume as a demonstration of the development of the figurational approach from a helpful heuristic lens to a mature operational theoretical framework, the postscript exemplifies this development through a description of three of the book’s case studies. It is suggested that the figurational approach may benefit from building a more precise consensus about what constitutes a core research agenda for cross-media research under conditions of mediatization. Finally, based on a chapter which is purely methodological, the postscript discusses the validity of different qualitative interview designs for the non-mediacentric study of cross-media use.

Book review: Risk and Hyperconnectivity: Media and Memories of Neoliberalism

“…Chapter 9 “The 2011 English Riots: A Case Study” discusses the 2011 English riots in a similar fashion, placing an emphasis on the interplay between established and emergent media and suggesting an integrative approach for researching such events. This is in line with initiatives for cross-media research, which are increasingly urged for in media research (see, for example, Hepp and Hasebrink, 2018; Lohmeier and Böhling, 2018; Schrøder, 2018). Chapter 10 “The Piketty Event: A Case Study” reviews the publication of Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the Twenty-First Century in 2014 and its reception vis-à-vis Risk and Hyperconnectivity’ s main theses regarding the field of economics (and neoliberalism), the use of digital data, and the opportunities that come along with postscarcity.…”

The blurry lines between popular media and party propaganda: China’s convergence culture through a linguistic lens

“…Therefore, analysis of media convergence must account for the user perspective. There is now a growing body of media research that argues for treating user and user perception as analytical concepts, stressing the importance of understanding user perception of media landscapes where traditional and digital media are blended whereby users actively participate in the production and consumption of media in a convergence culture [35][36][37][38]. However, existing research on user perception of hybrid media production tends to focus on users in Europe and the United States [38,39].…”