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Audience Democracy: An Emerging Pattern in Postmodern Political Communication

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Political Communication in Postmodern Democracy

Abstract

Mediacracy, government by spectacle, plebiscitary democracy, spectator democracy, telecracy, informational politics, public relations democracy, mobocracy, drama democracy, fan democracy, blockbuster democracy, media democracy, monitory democracy: the lack of a fixed technical term for political communication in postmodern Western societies is revealing. Accounts splinter off in all directions and are often moralizing and adversarial.1 What they generally share is a concern over what was once apparently a symbiotic relationship, a reasonable and comfortable living-apart-together. The relationship between politicians and journalists, between party and press, was considered a marriage de raison in which one more or less depended on the other: journalists needed politicians for news about government and for information about what took place in the policy process; politicians needed journalists for news about society and for media exposure – to be seen to be acting responsibly and in the public’s interest. It is as if the partners have since filed for a divorce and the marital quarrels are fought out openly.

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Authors
  1. Jos de Beus
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leiden University, The Netherlands

    Kees Brants

  2. University of Leeds, England

    Katrin Voltmer

Copyright information

© 2011 Jos de Beus

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Cite this chapter

de Beus, J. (2011). Audience Democracy: An Emerging Pattern in Postmodern Political Communication. In: Brants, K., Voltmer, K. (eds) Political Communication in Postmodern Democracy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230294783_2

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