Media History and the Mediatization of Everyday Life

Mediatization became a central concept in media studies in the 2000s, and it has also attracted critical discussion among media scholars. One part of the criticism of the concept concerns its relevance in relation to the history of media. In this article, I discuss the concept of mediatization in media history studies, especially when it comes to everyday life. I am predominantly interested in its ‘weak form’—particularly the idea that mediatization is a historical process that depends strongly on the historical context. The article suggests that mediatization should be located in specific historical situations and in the meanings of history. Firstly, the concept should be seen as a process that is realized inside the meta-processes of globalization, individualization and commercialization—not as its own meta-process. Secondly, when adapting the concept to the sociocultural factors of media history, it should be placed in the creation of worldviews. The article suggests that mediatization as a concept is most useful in media history studies when it is applied in studying the role of media in the history of everyday life.