Naslov
Democratic Potentials of Media Entertainment: Reading ‘The Pyramid’

Autori
Krajina, Zlatan

Izvornik
Politička misao (0032-3241) 44 (2007), 5; 179-202

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
democratic entertainment; televised debate; game talk-show “The Pyramid”; public service radio-television; mass media; popular culture; mass culture theory

Sažetak
Contesting a tradition deeply ingrained in media studies, which conceives of news and current-affairs programming not only as a reli-able, but also a sufficient platform for a mediated enhancement of the democratic ideal of plurality (in a representational realm which many members of society find devoid of enjoyment and consequently ig-nore), this paper seeks to explore how ‘mass’ entertainment texts are able to provide subsidiary platforms for debate on society’s relevant issues. From this standpoint, the ‘reading’ of popular media texts on the micropolitical level (the capitalist consumerist setting notwith-standing) is potentially useful to democracy on the macropolitical level. Although popular texts are ar dently condemned by ‘mass cul-ture theory’ and confined to the realm of mere profit-motivated irra-tional pleasures, they are nonetheless involved in rational deliberation of popular culture consumers engaging with texts as active citizens. The powers and limitations of “democratic entertainment”, a para-digm recently emergent in political communication, will be assessed in a case study of the game/talk show “The Pyramid”, co-produced by Croatian public service Television (‘HRT’) and ‘Castor Multimedia’, as a text which boldly confronts entertainment audiences, prime-time celebrities and current-affairs politicians in informed discussions on the nation’s pertinent issues.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Politologija, Informacijske i komunikacijske znanosti, Sociologija

POVEZANOST RADA